The Führer
by Some Randy
Summary: In a past life, he was The Führer of an entire universe. Now he is reincarnated as a regular boy trying to live a peaceful life. The only problem is the stories high man-eating humanoid creatures. Perhaps this is his hell for all the awful things he had done in his past life. Canon AU. Where Eren "remembers" his past life of being a tyrannical ruler. (Outdated)
1. Prologue

Darkness.

It was everywhere. It surrounded him. He tried to reach out, expecting to grab a hold of an object, but he remained floating, as if suspended by strings.

 _'I am dead.'_

The thought came fast. It was to be expected. Everything had gone according to plan. Sacrificing himself for a better world.

This deserves the title of a hero, correct?

Not quite.

Ruthless, cold, and terrifying. Those words describe him best.

The Führer.

That was the title he received when he came into power. He didn't care what the public masses thought of him, the only thing he cared about was fulfilling his promise. Because he _never_ breaks a promise.

A better world.

That was what his sister wished for as she laid on death's door.

His foolish, innocent sister who still cared for the world.

The same world that betrayed them and tossed them out like yesterday's garbage.

But, it was what his sister wished for, and without out his sister, he had nothing to live for.

So he devised a plan that would satisfy his desire and his promise.

Simply put, he conquered the world, put all hatred onto himself, help fund and lead a rebellion against _himself_ , and end it with him being defeated which led to the end of the cycle of hatred.

Confused? Well, it doesn't matter. The Führer accomplished his goal, that is what matters. Fed up with life and having nothing to live for, he died.

" _ **Quite the sob story, dont'cha think?"**_

The Führer was snapped out of his deep thoughts as a ball of light appeared in front of him.

" _ **Haven't lost your touch, I see."**_

The ball of light spoke. It's response was due to the minimized effort it took for The Führer to deduce what he was.

A demon.

Speaking of which…

" _ **You are correct, I can read your mind. You are in my domain, after all."**_

The Führer once again closed his eyes.

"So then, what is it? Are you to give my punishment? How many years in purgatory? Or perhaps I am to spend entirety bathing in flames?" The Führer responded. He knew he deserved as much. He had killed millions of innocents after all.

" _ **Normally I would just send you to a lower circle of Hell. But… you are different. I feel your talents would be wasted on such rubbish down there. I half expect you to become the new Satan if left alone for to long."**_

The Führer scoffs.

"So you don't want me to become the new overlord of Hell?"

" _ **To some extent. However, you still need to be… 'punished'."**_

"Oh? So what is my punishment?"

" _ **Have you ever believed in different universes? Different timelines? Instead of this happening in the past, something else took place?"**_

The Führer sighed.

"Stop beating around the bush, what is it you wish?"

" _ **Hmm… Let me say this. If you are a powerful demon, you gain a lot of powers. Powers to transport to different universes. And, some demons 'claim' a universe. Such is the case with me. However… I made a mistake. Because of that mistake, a lot of people are suffering."**_

"And you want _me_ to fix it? Why should I? Those people are of no concern to me." The Führer responded. If what the demon said was true, then The Führer could become a powerful demon as well and travel to different universes. Perhaps he could go to a universe where she is still alive…

" _ **Oh? You think you have a choice?"**_

The Führer's train of thought halted at that statement. He wouldn't…

" _ **Correct. You still have a punishment to serve."**_

With that said, the ball of light expanded. Soon everything was engulfed in the light. Then, nothing.

* * *

It was a weird experience for The Führer. He had recalled a religious figure from his past stating that man "must be reborn in order to enter the kingdom of Heaven". The Führer somehow knew this is not what that man had meant.

"He has your eyes." A feminine voice was heard.

"Yes, and obviously your looks." A masculine voice responded.

' _Wha… What is this? Don't tell me… that demon sent me to his universe?!'_

"Hm… You said you wanted to name him if he was a boy, Grisha. Have you thought of one?"

' _No. This wasn't suppose to happen! I have no reason to be here! No purpose to live! Why?! Why was I sent here?!'_

"Yes, Carla. I have thought about it."

' _Fix the universe? Don't give me that bullshit! I have done enough! Suffered enough! And now that bastard of a demon tells me I have to_ save _another world?!'_

"His name shall be…"

' _Screw that! That demon wanted me to save this world? Fine, but I am doing it my way. I will conquer everything in my path! This time, I won't die. This time I will live the way I want to. I will rule everything. Just as it is suppose to be. For I am…'_

"... Eren Yeager."

' _...The Führer'_

* * *

 _Eren Yeager._

The name is of German origin.

The building. The manners. The way of speaking.

It has German written all over it.

Something The Führer was familiar with.

Even the people looked German. The Führer, in his past life, was German too.

However, he could not relate to these people at all! The Germans he knew were proud. They would not back off when challenge. Yet these people built walls to cowardly hide behind? And they just accepted to live like cattle?!

The Führer could not understand these people. He _didn't_ want to understand such cowardly people.

So The Führer decided that the sooner he started, the sooner he could conquer this place and do whatever the hell he wanted.

So at the tender age of seven months he took his first steps to success…

And immediately tripped and fell…

' _Stupid tiny legs! Just do as I tell you for God's sake!'_

"Oh my! Eren! You just started crawling and now you're trying to walk!" Carla, The Führer's mother, came up to him and picked him up.

"You. Are. So. Adorable~!" The woman emphasized each word by rubbing her cheek against The Führer's head repeatedly.

' _Unhand me woman! I am trying to conquer the world! And you are getting in the way!'_ The baby Führer could only think, as he had yet developed the ability to speak yet.

"Oh? You're getting a little feisty now? Are you perhaps hungry?" Carla began as she gave her son a sly look.

' _No… She doesn't mean…'_ Fear began to creep up on The Führer.

Carla had entered her bedroom. She sat The Führer down on the bed and took off her shirt. Revealing her breast.

The Führer had died a virgin. To be honest, he never really had the time for sexulized never held a priority in his life. However, that doesn't mean he wouldn't get flustered if a pair of breasts were shoved in his face.

"Come on, Eren! How else are you suppose to get big and strong if you don't drink my milk?" Carla responded to the attempts that The Führer made into not sucking on Carla's tits.

' _Damn, I have no choice. You win this round.'_ The Führer reluctantly gave in.

"Atta' boy! Hehe, I know you're stubborn, but where did you think you got that from? You will never surpass the queen!"

' _This women…'_

* * *

The Führer… no, Eren Yeager was now 4 years old.

Eren would never admit it, but those 4 years were probably the hardest in his life.

He couldn't "read", he couldn't "talk", and he couldn't "conquer".

He had to stay at home in a crib. If he was lucky, Carla would take him out for a stroll.

It was on his first stroll he saw the wall.

He was perhaps 2, maybe 3 months of age, but it really shocked him.

He wasn't an architecture, but even _he_ could tell those walls weren't man made. There were no groves for mortar, no bricks, just one giant slab of rock. It was to refined to be a natural geographical occurrence.

' _Could it be made by the supernatural? As much as I want to say "I don't believe in magic", this_ is _an entirely new universe. The possibilities are endless.'_

"Wall Maria." A soft spoken voice was heard.

' _Carla. She must have seen me staring at the wall.'_

"That is the name of the third most-outer wall." She continued. "You're not old enough to understand, but those walls protect us."

Eren gave Carla a deadpanned look. As if saying 'is it necessary to have them _that_ large'.

All Carla could do was sweatdrop and giggle.

"I knew you wouldn't understand, perhaps when you're older." With that said, they turned back to head home.

Of course, Eren didn't understand at the time. It wasn't that he _couldn't_ it was just that he didn't have enough information.

It was when he was around 1 year of age when he finally understood why the walls were so tall. He was "playing" with a toy car in the kitchen. The window was open to allow the spring breeze to enter the threshold. That is when a couple walked by. Eren overheard their conversation.

 _Titans._

It was pathetic, laughably pathetic how giant humanoid monsters devoured humanity.

' _It's communism all over again.'_

At any rate, this news would allow him to progress with his plans. He would have to learn more information, but if he could find the easiest way to subdue the Titans, he could easily become ruler.

Now it was present time. Now that Eren was at an "acceptable" age of talking, he was going to ask Grisha all about the Titans and walls.

"Hey," Eren stared at Grisha after their dinner meal. Grisha was reading the newspaper, when Eren had walked up and tugged at his sleeve.

"I have a question."

Grisha immediately looked at his wife who was doing the dishes. Carla gave a confused look, then her face lit up in recognition.

"Oh, Eren!" She responded. "You see, babies come from this magical bird. They carry the baby in their mouth. If you pray hard enough, and believe deep enough, they will deliver the baby to your door!"

Grisha facepalmed. Eren would have if he wasn't so well trained in dealing with Carla's antics.

"I don't think that was on his mind, dear." Grisha responded.

"Oh?" Carla asked as she dried her hands on her apron. "What else could a child be curious about?"

"The walls." Eren decided to cut to the chase.

"Why do they exist?"

"Soon you will be starting school. I am sure you will learn about the history of what happened to humanity." Grisha picked up Eren and placed him on his lap.

"But I want to know now, I doubt they would teach kids us age such complicated things."

It wasn't a surprise in the Yeager household how smart Eren was. Most people had just thought it was the genes of the Doctor Grisha himself.

But Grisha suspected something else. He had heard that those who have the ability to shift and have children, the shifting ability typically goes to the child when they die. Even if they don't turn into an original Titan and eat a shifter, they will still receive the gift. The problem was, Grisha has never seen, let alone heard of a child of a shifter. His hypothesis is that, somehow, the genes of a shifter made him smarter for his age.

Or he could be overthinking it.

"Very well. However, it is a very gruesome story." Grisha responded.

"Nay…" Carla got down on her knees to rest her head on the table. With a pout she said, "Do we have to tell him such things? He is so young."

"He asked for it, and he seems to be above his peers when it comes to maturity. I don't see any harm. Plus, if he gets scared you can just snuggle with him." Carla's face immediately lit up at that statement. As Eren got older, he stop with getting real intimate with his family. Mainly hugs, kisses, that sort of intimacy.

"Okay! Tell right away!" Carla responded with cheer.

' _This isn't how mothers should act.'_

"Well, the walls are here to protect us. They protect us from what we call the 'Titans'. They are large creatures that prey on humanity. They have god-like abilities. They can regenerate almost anywhere on their bodies. They say that the Garrison one timed blew off the head of a Titan, yet in a few minutes it regenerated it back and continued like nothing happened.

"No one knows where they came from, just that they appeared one day and started eating humans. The whole population of the Earth was wiped out. Our ancestors, those who survived the Titan onslaught, built these walls to protect us. They-"

"Impossible." Grisha was cut off from Eren's sudden outburst.

"W-What?"

"How could all of humanity have been wiped out?" Eren questioned.

"Ah… That's…"

"Furthermore, even if we ran from the conflict and built these walls, who's to say others didn't do the same thing?"

"Um… Well…"

"Actually, what if we are the only ones dealing with the Titans? What if those humans that kept on fighting found a way to stop them. But since we ran and hid, we know nothing about them."

"Eren! What are you getting at." Grisha asked in complete shock. He knew his son was special, but to think he would go this far in an analysis.

"You said that all humans outside the walls were devoured. How do we know that is true?"

"O-Our ancestors confirmed…"

"Are they omnipotent? Can they know the whereabouts of all living creatures?"

"Eren." This time it was Carla who spoke up.

"No one can survive outside the walls for a long period of time."

Silence engulfed the room as the words echoed off the walls.

Truly, Eren wanted to debate about this more. But two things stopped.

One, he was still considered a child. He shouldn't raise suspicion on himself, lest he catch the eye of unwanted attention. What kind of unwanted attention? Well that was number two.

Grisha's face. He expressed 'Shock'. Meanwhile, Carla expressed 'Confusion' and 'Worry'.

Why was Grisha in shock? He _knew_ something. Something about this entire world. Something that was kept a secret. Eren knew that Grisha was a well-esteemed doctor. He was high in the social ladder. He knew things that the commoners didn't.

That means other people knew these things. Dangerous people. It would be best to stop asking those questions, otherwise Eren might end up in a "accident". But this conversation was very insightful.

Eren learned that Grisha was not the man he claimed to be and that there was more to the situation at hand.

Eren had two theories.

One, humans exist outside the wall, however, for some reason they hate those within the walls. They created Titans, forcing those who are within the walls to build said walls. Years have passed and only a selective few know of the truth. Why? To keep control. If the common populace knew that people outside the walls existed, they may try to escape to those people. However, this theory it the least likely out of the two.

Why? There were many reasons, like how only a few know the truth. However, if we were to throw in the supernatural element, then anything is possible. Hypnosis, mind erase, or a simple agreement never to speak of the event again. More information would be needed to confirm this theory.

The most likely theory, but still out in the ballpark, is that the king of the walls made the Titans himself. Greedy, he wanted complete control over his people. How to accomplish this? A common enemy. Grisha claimed that _all_ humans beyond the wall were devoured. Why crush the hope that there still could be life out there? That the people in the walls would be able to drive out the Titans? Simple, they don't want the people to leave. They have complete control over them because all of humanity is "united" in a front against a common enemy.

Either way, both theories could be a flop. More research would have to be done.

"I… I think that's enough for tonight. Why don't you head to bed, Eren?" Grisha responded.

' _Still in shock? How far was I close to the truth? Either way, this world is getting interesting. I thought it would be a walk in the park to conquer everything. But now…_

' _I may have a challenge.'_

* * *

"Man! That was scary! I knew Eren was smart, but I had no clue he would of thought of something so complex!" Carla exclaimed.

A little while had past since the conversation between Eren and Grisha. The two spouses choose to go to bed as well. Carla was currently in her nightgown, sitting on the bed. Grisha was unbuttoning his shirt.

' _It is strange.'_ Grisha thought. ' _Normal kids could never think like that. Perhaps me being a shifter has affected Eren's DNA structure? No. Something's not right about that kid. He is only 4 years old! The brain could not have developed in such a way… Unless… Perhaps it is because I am a Titan shifter? I don't know. Either way, Eren will have to be the one to save the Eldians inside the walls._

' _It is only a matter of time before the Marley "warriors" come. I hope I am able to prepare Eren in time. However, he may not need my help. His intelligence is great, far superior than any child I have ever meet. So much that it is scary. Illogical, even. But right now, I have to focus on being like a father to Eren. I won't go wrong like I did with Zeke.'_

"Hey, why the long face? Worried about Eren?" Carla spoke. She was lying down on the bed, head propped up with her hand.

"It's just… I don't know. How can a kid be that smart?"

"Hmm, maybe he inherited your smart doctor genes or something?" Carla responded.

Grisha glanced out the bedroom window. ' _Perhaps I am overthinking this, maybe it does have something to do with me being a Titan shifter.'_

"Say, say~," Carla spoke as she grabbed Grisha and threw him on the bed. "Eren seems lonely."

"Why don't we give him a sibling~?" She whispered seductively into Grisha's ear.

As to two began in their nightly debauchery, Grisha decided to think about Eren another time. He was rather preoccupied, after all.

* * *

Eren lied down on his bed facing the ceiling, going over the events that just played. He would have to tread carefully from now on. It would be best for him to stop asking such questions until he was old enough to defend himself.

' _In any case, I should wait till I am older to start investigating. Men fear the unknown. It is a good thing that I crave the unknown. Well, it will ease by boredom until I am old enough to conquer everyone in these damn walls. However…_

' _Must they be so loud?'_ Eren thought in irritation as a particular noise of pleasure was heard.

' _I mean, come on! Do you want to tell the whole world what you're doing?! Because that's what it sounds like to me!'_

Eren turned over onto his side and brought his pillow and covered his head, or more specifically, his ear.

He wasn't irritated at the fact that Grisha and Carla were having sex. He wasn't irritated at the fact that he never found anyone to love. He wasn't irritated at the fact that, no matter how badass he was in his previous life, he never got laid.

He wasn't irritated.

Eren sighed as he withdrew the pillow from his head and looked up at the ceiling again.

' _Ah, I'm lonely, aren't I?'_

* * *

"All right, finish up your math at home if you were unable to complete it, that's it for today. Dismissed." The teacher spoke with an air of boredom.

' _He could at least sound a little bit interested in the well being of his students.'_ Eren thought as he remained seated as the other kids left.

Two years have passed since Eren asked Grisha about the walls, making Eren six. He started attending school a few months back.

As soon as the last child left, Eren stood and went up to the teacher's desk where he laid down the math worksheet the teacher had assigned them.

"Done already?" The teacher spoke.

"Yes, sir." Eren spoke as he turned to leave.

"Wait, sit down for a minute will you."

Eren hesitated. He didn't really want to spend his time chatting with this old fool, but common courtesy dicated that he should obey.

"What do you want, sir." Eren spoke as he took a seat in the front row.

"Such a polite kid, your parents raised you well."

' _Beating around the bush, are we?'_

"I don't mean to sound rude, but I do have other places to be."

"And a busy man at that. All right, I will cut to the chase. You got a perfect score on your homework."

"But sir, you didn't-"

"I don't need to look at it." The teacher cut him off. "I looked at your previous assignments and noticed that you already have the hang of the equations. What I wanted to talk about is why you don't want to bring that to light. Your intelligence, that is."

' _So this man isn't as senile as I thought.'_

"What do you mean, sir?" Eren asked with an air of confusion.

"I am saying you could be friends with so many kids here, yet you isolate yourself. It is a tough world out there, you won't be able to get far without the help of your friends." The teacher spoke.

Eren stopped to think for a moment. It was true that he didn't befriend any of the kids here, but the reason wasn't because he was anti-social.

He just thought they were obnoxious and useless.

What benefit could befriending such people do? Just by looking at them he could discern what they would become in the future. Hell, most of the kids come here because their parents dropped them off here like some kind of day care. None took this serious. Unlike his previous life, high grades weren't an expectation.

Most kids would grow up to inherited what their families do. They could change that fate, if they tried, but they didn't. Why would they? They are happy the way they are.

It disgusted Eren, really. These people were content with how their world was. They didn't want change, they didn't care if they were like cattle. They were living ignorant lives, content with what they have.

Eren wanted nothing to do with those types of people.

"Sorry sir, it's just I get really nervous around other people. But I am sure I will get better at talking to others." Eren lied.

"... Well, as long as you know the problem and are trying to improve it. Despite what it may look like at times, I do care about my students." The teacher responded with a smile.

"Well, that's all for today. Have a safe walk home."

"Thank you, sir."

Eren got up and walked to the door. A gentle breeze meet him as he walked outside.

The door closed with a soft click.

"What did the teacher wanted to talk about?" A voice spoke up.

' _Her again?'_

"Isabell… You waited for me? Again?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I?" The now identified Isabell spoke.

She was the same age as Eren, blond and comes from a wealthy family.

She was the most popular of the girls, and every boy wanted to impress her.

Eren didn't mind much, but the worst part was that she has become smitten with him.

Eren didn't know when it happened, but he has his suspicions on when it all happened.

And the cringe of the encounter is so much he almost wants to throw up.

* * *

" _This handkerchief is made out of pure silk."_

 _A group of girls surrounded Isabell near the entrance of school as she showed off her handkerchief._

" _My father says that proper women have to wear and have the proper attire." She spoke in a haughty voice._

" _Wow, Isabell! I can't believe that you have a thing at such an age. You really are a women!" The girls in her group spoke in admiration._

 _It was at that time that Eren walked by and accidently bumped into Isabell, causing her to drop her handkerchief into a puddle of rainwater._

" _Ah, sorry." Eren apologized as he continued his walk._

" _You… You… You peasant! How dare you walk off nonchalantly after you have done such a thing!" Isabell spoke with rage lacing her voice._

'" _Nonchalantly"? A girl this young shouldn't know the definition of a word like that.' Eren thought._

 _He turned around and looked at the girl that he just earned the ire of. She wore a blue blouse with a matching skirt. It wasn't much, but the color pretty much screamed 'rich' all over it._

 _Much like in Eren's previous life, the medieval ages had something similar. The color of clothes spoke of the wealth of the person. The reason being was that dye was expensive to come by, so most commoners wore the color of what the fabric's material was woven from. Mainly brown._

" _What? I apologized, didn't I?" Eren spoke. He didn't have time to deal with obnoxious brats._

" _Do you know who I am? I am Isabell Rommel! And I demand you reimburse me for staining my handkerchief!"_

' _Rommel? Where have I heard…'_

" _Listen, it is just a piece of cloth. If you apply time and effort, you can wash it and it will be as if it was brand new. Furthermore, if you hadn't taken it out to show it off like some kind of trophy then it wouldn't have gotten dirty, now would it?" Eren spoke in a cold manner unbefitting of a six year old._

 _Everyone stood in shock. Most were surprised, considering Eren never spoke in class and went right home after school. Some didn't even know his name._

" _You… You…" Isabell seethed with rage._

" _If you grovel on your knees, I shall forgive you for these trespasses against me!" she yelled._

 _Eren sighed, then he turned to walk away. As he was leaving he responded back._

" _You use such complicated words, yet you truly aren't smart at all. That is a handkerchief. They are meant to get dirty. Just wash it and it will look like it used too."_

" _W-What's that suppose to mean?!" She shouted back._

" _It means that you shouldn't be over dramatic over something so trivial. I am guessing that was a gift from your father. Instead of pushing the blame on someone for tarnishing your cherished item, you should take an active role to fix what has been wronged. In this case, just clean it. It is really simple if you just take the effort to do it._

" _Now, if that is all, please excuse me."_

 _If Eren would have taken the time to look back, he would have noticed a blush develop on Isabell's face._

* * *

"I told you! Call me Bell!"

To be honest, Eren had thought she would hate him after that day. But for some reason, she developed something like a crush on him.

He wasn't dense.

His tactical side was telling him to get rid of her. Such useless luggage would only waste time.

But… He didn't. He didn't know why, but he let her do as she pleased and never told her to stop annoying him.

Maybe apart of him enjoyed her company?

Nonsense.

"And why would I call you that?" Eren responded as he started the trek home.

"Do you need to ask! Because we are friends!" The blond spoke.

Eren stopped. He never asked, but he suppose now would be better than never.

"And why are we friends?" He looked into Isabell's eyes. "If I recall, I was a total jerk to you. Why would you want to be friends?"

Isabell glanced to the side with a blush.

"I-It's because… well, I mean… You were kinda cool. And really inspirational when you told be to fix my problems with my own powers."

"...It was just a handkerchief."

"So what if it was! I still did it with the help of my older brother! And that's what got me thinking. You were wrong in someway. You said to fix my problems by myself. However, I believe you can have friends help you with your problems as well!"

Silence was the only response until Eren decided to start walking again.

"Even if you further burden your friends? They have their own problems as well."

"That's why you help them after they help you."

"...Equivalent exchange, is it?"

"Nope!"

Eren stopped to look at her, a genuinely confused look on his face.

"Equivalent exchange sounds more similar to a business partnership. The help I am talking about is friendship. The type of friendship were you will do anything for that friend!"

Eren glanced up to the sky to consider the words that Isabell just spoke.

"... Friendship seems complicated. And pointless." Eren finally said as he walked off.

' _H-How cold!'_ Isabell thought as she ran to catch up to Eren.

* * *

"So… A man walks into a bar-"

"It was a lead bar."

The blond pouted.

"You could at least let me finish the riddle…"

"How about coming up with better riddles?"

This was what they typically did when walking home. Isabell knew that Eren was smart. So she would come up with riddles for Eren to solve.

Needless to say the riddles weren't very hard.

"Anyways, we are coming up on the fork." The brown haired boy responded.

Since Isabell's family was wealthy, it was natural she lived in the upper-class district of Shiganshina. Needless to say, Eren and Isabell's housed were in different communities. Just as Eren was about to go down the path that lead him to his home, he stopped.

"What is is?" Isabell asked out of concern.

Eren said nothing and walked into the ally that they were right beside.

Isabell, curious at the new path Eren was taking, followed.

"-at's why you're a filthy heathen!" A voice full of disdain was heard.

Eren stopped at a corner and peeked past it.

Isabell looked as well.

What she saw was three older boys picking on a little… girl?

"Oh my! Eren, we have to help that girl." Isabell whispered.

Eren looked at her with a deadpan expression.

"Isabell… Those boys are picking on another _boy_."

Isabell froze.

"B-But… She… I mean he… Shouldn't we help?"

"If you want to help, be my guest. I, on the other hand want to find something out."

A thud was heard in the distance. One of the older boys had hit the girl… boy.

The boy was now on the ground, he looked up with tears in his eyes.

"Say what you want!" His outburst surprised the older boys.

"No matter what happens, we will have to go beyond these walls one day!"

At the sound of that, Eren's eyes widen a margin.

It was at that moment Eren's belief of these people changed. He had thought no one truly cared about going outside these walls. Yes, there were the Scouts, but unless he meant someone to discern their true motives, he thought of them nothing more than suicidal idiots. The reason being is that they go outside the walls to face the Titans _head on_. If they truly wanted to leave these walls, if they truly wanted to rid this land of the Titans, going at it with a direct approach wasn't going to work. He was disgusted with these people who elected no effort for change.

That is, until he meant this boy. The same boy who was currently being kicked repeatedly.

"Say that again, bastard!"

"The walls protect us, and you want to go beyond them?!"

"Useless scum like you should just kill yourselves!"

Each bully delivered their remark with a sneer. Soon, they grew bored of the boy who was crying in the fetal position.

"C'mon, this is getting boring."

As they left, each took a turn to spit on him.

As soon as they could no longer be seen, Eren came out behind the building corner he was watching from.

Toward this new person of interest.

Toward this petite looking blond.

* * *

Armin didn't know where he went wrong. He was just reading a book about the outside world when those boys decided to blow off steam by using him.

Using the excuse of him being a "heathen" to tear up his book and beat him.

All he wanted to do was see the outside world.

As he laid there sobbing, he heard the footsteps on the dirt road coming toward him. Fearing that the boys had come back, he looked up, hoping they wouldn't do much harm.

But to his surprise, it wasn't the three older boys.

Rather, it was a young boy with brown hair and gray eyes.

"Looks like you've seen better days." The new comer responded.

"Uh… Y-yeah…" Armin was mystified as to what this boy would want to do with him. It appeared he didn't want to pick on him. He didn't seem to have any hostile movements or look.

"Why didn't you fight back?" The gray eyed boy said.

"You got your ass handed to you because you didn't fight back."

Armin paused to look at the ground for a second.

"If I had fought back, I would have lost."

"If you don't fight, though, you won't win." Was his retort.

Armin widened his eyes, then narrowed them as he looked back up at the boy.

"No… I won this battle."

The boy lifted his head, so that he could look down his nose at the boy. The boy was probably disgusted by him, nothing new at least.

"How so?" he responded with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm… weak. I can't fight back. But I can endure it. The reason I didn't lose, was because I didn't run away!" Armin shouted, rising to his feet.

He didn't know why he did that, but it always pissed him off when people thought the only solution for a problem was to attack it head on.

If he had fought back, he would have prolonged his beating!

For an instant, Armin thought he saw a smile on the boy that didn't _belong_ on a boy that age.

He blinked.

That _smile_ was replaced with a real smile, one that looked more natural on a boy his age.

Then the boy spoke.

* * *

What the child had said greatly interested Eren. His will to fight, or rather, his will to win.

It reminded it of himself, in some way.

That was why for a fracture of a second, Eren had smiled a crazed smile. One that looked liked it belong on a demon rather than a six year old kid.

Eren fixed his features and then spoke.

"You're quite smart, aren't you?"

The blond boy blinked.

And then blinked again.

"Huh?" The blond stated his confusion.

No longer was Eren looking down his nose at the boy.

"If you had fought back, you would have provided more entertainment for those boys. But, by simply sticking it out, they grew bored of your resilience. I must say, I misjudged you. Tell me, what is your name."

"A-Armin… Armin Arlert…" The blond, now identified as Armin, said with some hesitation.

"And I am Eren Yeager. Now, if you don't mind, I overheard something about leaving the walls. Can you explain more about that?"

And for the first time ever, Armin had found a friend. One who shared his beliefs that they would have to leave these walls one day. One that didn't make fun of him. And one that was interested in the outside world as well.

* * *

A few weeks had passed since Eren had meant Armin. The boy was really interesting.

After exchanging names, Isabell hurried over, fussing over Armin's wounds.

She droned on about how those men were cowards, that picking on such a cute boy was a disgrace.

Eren got a chuckle at how red Armin's face became due Isabell.

"-dismissed, make sure to do your homework." The teacher had said.

Eren still attended school. It was a waste of effort, however, he only attended for one reason.

History. He wanted to know more about it.

But it still pissed him off.

What he learned in history was the same as he heard Grisha say.

Hell, there wasn't even a history subject! Whenever classes first started, the teacher went over a brief overlook of our history. Stating how our ancestors founded the walls to protect themselves from the Titans. And that the Titans ate _all_ of humanity outside the walls.

Eren didn't comment on it. He was still wary and didn't want to raise suspicion.

As usual, Eren was the last one to get up and leave. Isabell was waiting for him.

"I have to go to the market." was all Eren said to Isabell.

"I can help too!" was her cheerful remark.

"Ah, no. That won't be necessary."

"Come on! The marketplace is a woman's forte! I will not accept no as an answer!"

With a sigh, Eren turned to go to the market, with Isabell in tow.

All he had to do was pick up some fruit for Carla, but he had wanted to go exploring as well. Mainly investigating the walls. They were mysterious to him. He had wanted to get a good look at them, but with Isabell tagging along, it would be difficult to go.

The nearest part of the wall is in the opposite direction of where they lived. If Eren completed his shopping and headed for the wall, she would question him and eventually follow him to the wall. That isn't what Eren wanted. Because what he was going to do to the wall could have him executed.

He wanted to dig into the wall. Nothing large that would allow a Titian through, but he wanted to know more about the wall.

The way the wall is shaped shows that it wasn't built. There was no separate bricks with mortar laid between them. It was all just one massive entity. Not separate bricks that would join together to form a wall.

There was two theories, either it was carved out from existing rock, or something supernatural was involved.

Eren sighed in frustration. He hadn't read too many fantasy books in his previous life, but he had read some "reincarnation" genre books to his little sister. The protagonist usually goes in blind. The world they are reincarnated into is one that is completely different from their old world. Fantasy becomes reality, is one example.

The same could be for Eren. There could be supernatural elements in this world. Impossible powers, the Titans all but prove this concept. So, the wall could be made by means that some would deem "unnatural".

"You've been sighing a lot, is something the matter?" Isabell spoke up with a concerned voice.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing. Just have a lot on my mind."

"Oi, isn't tat de Yeager's son?" a rough voice was overhead

"Hm? Ah, you must mean Dr. Grisha. Yes, that is his child."

"Heh, hear the kid is a smart one at tat. Lucky bloke. Dem docs must be pretty smart if ye have kids like dat."

"Yes, Grisha is pretty smart. He figured out a cure for that outbreak awhile back. No other doctor could find out. Although, we are the outer district, so I doubt they were giving it their all."

Outbreak? Now that interested Eren. Grisha doesn't seem like the type of doctor who could come up with a cure. Rather, he seems like the doctor who could _diagnosed_ the disease and use an _existing_ cure. Not create one on his own.

Now that Eren thought about it, Grisha was a complete mystery.

Sure, Eren knew he was hiding something, but he couldn't find out what Grisha's motives were.

Why was he doctor? Why did he show "shock" when Eren spoke of the walls? Even the basement that he wasn't allowed into was a mystery…

The basement…

"What's wrong? Why did you facepalm?"

"Nothing, Isabell. I just thought of something so obvious that I didn't figure out till now."

The basement. It had to have some type of secret in there. Grisha had used the excuse of dangerous equipment for the reason as to why Eren couldn't go in there.

But since Eren was old enough to handle somethings by himself, he decided he was going on a house tour.

' _Now, time to gather the things I need to pick a few locks…'_

* * *

The door squeaked opened.

Eren gazed into the darkness that was the basement.

He had just picked the lock on the door using a stiff bit of wire. It was way past midnight and Grisha and Carla were fast asleep.

Eren lit a match for a lantern to get more light. He didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. It looked like a simple doctor's office. Except for the vial of green substance on the desk.

' _Stuff looks sketchy.'_

As Eren toured around the basement, one emotion dominated his thoughts.

Disappointment.

It was just a regular doctor's office.

After walking around aimlessly, Eren decided that was enough. However, as Eren was about to leave, he noticed a hole on the side of Grisha's desk.

He would have missed it if he wasn't so short. That is one advantage of being a six year old.

Upon closer investigation, it was revealed to be a key hole.

' _Interesting. I should have know that there was something like this here.'_

With that thought, Eren got out the stiff bit of wire to try and pick the lock.

With a satisfying "click", Eren opened the drawer to find…

Nothing.

' _Such a hidden spot, do you really believe that most would accept that this is empty?'_

Eren reached down to grasp the bottom of the drawer, and found that it could slide up.

What was revealed was a set of books.

Eren took no time to open them and read them.

So he read.

And read.

And read.

"Pfft." Eren snorted.

"Hehehe." A light chuckle began.

"HmmfHmmfHmmfHmmf!" What would have been full blown laughter if Eren hadn't muffled his mouth to keep quiet was heard.

"So this is the secret you were hiding, Grisha!" A smile that did not belong on a child was formed.

"This is what the world has become! Hehe, I can't wait. Such an interesting concept!"

For the first time in a long time The Führer felt something.

Excitement.

Sure, the aspects of this world held his interest a few times.

But nothing like this.

The contents of those three books were very interesting.

With the knowledge they provided, it will surely be a fun road up ahead.

"Now then…

"Let's conquer the world."

* * *

 **Author's note:**

 **This is the rewritten version.**

 **I don't have an update schedule, so expect that to be slow.**

 **If you have any questions, leave a review or PM me.**

 **Thank you for your time and have a good day.**


	2. Chapter 1

_Gunfire and explosions surround the young boy entrenched in the earth. A look of irritation was drawn on his face as the battle they were fighting wasn't going their way._

 _The young boy was soon joined by another._

" _I got us some grub!" Despite the stench of death surrounding them, the newcomer still wore a huge grin on his face as an explosion erupted near them._

" _Nicholas… Where did you get the food?" The first boy asked as if they weren't in the middle of a battle._

" _Hmm… Let's just say mother nature has been generous to us!"_

 _At that statement, the boy saw the bag writhe within Nicholas' hand._

 _Bugs._

 _The boy let out a sigh._

" _Did you at least leave out the venomous ones?"_

" _Of course, of course! I don't want my future brother-in-law to die!"_

 _The boy's eye twitched at Nicholas' statement._

 _Damn his sister for falling for such an idiot._

 _It was at that moment the boy saw Nicholas' face lose its cheerfulness and was replaced with an unreadable expression. It was cold. The expression of a person who has cut off all emotion for one thing. To kill._

 _The boy saw the man's reflection in Nicholas' eyes. The enemy had decided to charge in a last ditch-effort to take the high ground._

 _The boy turned around to meet his adversary, but he knew it was too late. He wouldn't be able to lift his gun in time before he was mowed down._

 _But before the man could shoot him, a hole was made right between his eyes. The man fell over, dead._

" _Man, bet he felt that one in the afterlife." Nicholas said. Still holding the gun up to make sure there weren't any more threats._

" _A quick draw as always, thanks for the save." The boy expressed his gratitude as he too searched for enemies._

 _Nicholas gave him a smirk._

" _What are best friends for?"_

* * *

The enemy would most likely have steam-powered engines as well as gasoline as a fuel source.

It had been a few weeks after Eren had read all of the contents in those books.

The knowledge it provided would be quite essential in dealing with his enemies. He had suspected that there was, in fact, humans that lived beyond the wall. He hadn't, however, expected them to be his enemies. The people, the government, even the world thought of them as these 'devils' that brought the Titans into the world.

Eren laid out in the open plains just outside the gate to Shiganshina.

The inside of Shiganshina was packed full of houses, leaving no open plains to lay about like this. The reason the district was covered with so many houses was because the more humans in one area, the more the Titans would be drawn to it. This allowed the Garrison to have manpower in one place instead of it being spread throughout the walls.

Eren didn't like crowded areas all that much. He enjoyed the open space. It allowed him to think easier. Think easier on the current issue at hand.

How to deal with the future enemies.

The books told him a lot. But not everything.

Eren could deal with the unknown numbers if they were regular humans.

But they weren't.

Titan shifters.

Apparently, they have the ability to shift into a Titan and use it like an extra body.

Almost like a mech suit but made out of skin and bones.

The problem was that the books Grisha wrote said next to nothing about the shifters.

Only saying that there are nine current shifters. Him being one of them. The nation, Marley, had seven. The royal crown, who was apparently in hiding, also had one.

Eren let out a sigh.

Dealing with seven intelligent Titans were going to be a problem. Not to mention if they take a certain course of action. If they infiltrated the walls as spies and transformed, they could cause a lot of damage. It would leave everyone inside the wall unprepared if all seven attacked separated cities and repeated this process. After a while, the Marley government could send in their real soldiers and probably capture everyone without any resistance.

So what was stopping them?

The walls. They were made with giant, colossus like Titans.

Eren didn't know _how_ the science behind that worked.

At that point, he just gave up on reaching a logical conclusion. Giant humanoid naked men _were_ eating humans.

Anyways, a full frontal assault was impossible for the Marley government due to the fact that those giants could wake up and flatten the whole world.

Eren chose to think about it for another time. It was foolish to think of ways to combat enemies when you don't even have any combatants.

This will lead to Eren's first mission. He would need an army that was loyal to him and only him.

He wasn't going to start this until he was a little bit older, but with the knowledge he has just gain, he may not have the time to grow to an acceptable age. After all, the enemy wouldn't wait.

But what mattered most was that Eren knew who his enemies were.

The Marley government and the crown that rules over the people of the walls.

Eren was shocked to learn that the crowned king was a fake. Nothing more than a puppet whose strings are pulled by leading officials.

Of course, even if Eren had no knowledge of those books, he would still raise a coup to overthrow the king due to his incompetence. He just had more of a reason to do so now.

Eren let out another sigh. Things were going to get busy soon. He would have to start preparations.

The crunching noise of leaves under a foot was made.

Eren let out a smile, for he already knew who was coming.

"Eren!" Armin let out a yell as he neared his friend.

Eren remained lying there, looking up at the blue sky as Armin came to join him.

The boy had grown on him, Eren had to admit.

So much that he would probably give him a commanding position in his army. The boy had the potential. He was smart and quick on his feet.

He would make a fine commander.

The only problem was his inferiority complex.

Due to being bullied, he thought himself as next to worthless. It didn't help when Eren casted a huge shadow over him when it came to knowledge, the only thing he excelled at.

That's why Eren decided to change it. Some would call it being manipulative, but that's just who The Führer was. He manipulates people into doing his will.

Although, it wasn't as much as manipulation as it was just preparing Armin for the future.

The Führer's future.

Eren would start out with small things. Asking questions he already knew for Armin to answer. When he answered he would praise him.

"Man Armin, you're pretty smart." is one such example.

Eren would ask questions about philosophy.

"Was it okay if someone told you to die?" The answer Eren got actually surprised him a little.

"I… I don't want to die. B-But if someone gave me the reason I was dying for, and it was for humanity, then I would gladly do it."

A boy that age should not think like that. It may seem hypocritical for Eren to think that, but he had been reincarnated. He had his past life experiences. Armin didn't.

Eren wasn't ashamed to admit this, but he would be afraid to go up against Armin if he were to become an enemy. That's why Eren decided to become friends with Armin.

To use him.

Humans were just tools, after all.

He just had taken a liking to this new tool, Armin. A little rusted and blunt, but with the proper care, it could become a ferocious sword.

With a smile, Eren responded back.

"Hello, Armin."

"Eren! You won't guess what I just found!" Armin spoke frantically, a sparkle in his eyes.

"Alright, alright." Eren said as he sat up.

"What is it?"

"Okay, so my uncle was part of the Garrison." Armin began his tale. "And he recently suffered an illness that resulted in his death. So my Grandpa and I had to go clear out his belongings since we were the only family he had left.

"My Grandpa decided to send me to the Garrison library while he gathered my uncle's things. Despite everything being dusty, I explored a little. And that's when I came across this!"

That was when Armin suddenly pulled out a piece of paper, unrolling it to reveal its contents.

Eren's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

Nothing before has flabbergasted him so.

"Shocking, right? It's a treasure map! And it was in a secretive place within the library as well!"

Armin droned on about how there was a secret compartment inside the library. The only way he found it was because of the scratchings on the floor that was a result of it being opened.

As Armin spoke innocently of how they were going to go on an adventure to find the buried treasure, all Eren could do was stare at the map.

"Armin," Eren decided to speak up.

"How do you know this is a treasure map?"

"A-Ah, well, it was in a secret compartment. Oh! And the X-marks the spot. Not to mention the code."

It was true. The roll of paper was a bare map of the land between wall Rose and Maria. No landforms were marked, just an X surrounded by trees somewhere near the gate to Shiganshina.

But what really made Eren shock was the so-called code.

It wasn't coded.

 _German._

It was German words.

This confused and shocked Eren greatly. Judging by how Armin said it was 'code', that meant he didn't know what German was. That was saying a lot considering how smart Armin was.

No one in the walls should have known German.

So how was it possible? Why did someone write in German, when no one knew of it?

Well, there was only one way to find out.

* * *

Rarely, Eren is never quite upset. As a ruler in his past life, he had to grow to learn patience. If things upset him, he learned to control it and just let it go. Or channel it in a way so he can make an example of the people who upset him.

But this. _This_ was just getting on Eren's nerves.

"I can't believe I have to watch a bunch of brats go treasure huntin' on my day off."

"T-There aren't going to be any bugs, right? Right?"

Eren looked over at Armin has he scratched the back of his head. He wasn't even able to look Eren in the eyes.

"Armin…" Eren spoke quietly.

No answer was made.

"Armin." Eren said again when the blond refused to look.

"Ar. min." This time, Armin did look at Eren, sensing his serious tone.

" _Why._ " It was not a question. It was a demand.

"Uh… Y-You see… I-I ran into Isabell on my way home, and… I kinda told her about it…" Armin looked away shyly.

"And _him._ " Eren glanced at the man who was 'charged' with looking over them. A tall, well-built man with short blond hair, and a thin dark mustache. He was a Garrison soldier that often earned the ire of Eren due to his incompetence and drinking on the job.

"I, um, kinda ran into your father. A-And he was able to notice my excitement and I t-told him… S-So he only allowed us to go if Mr. Hannes came to watch over us…"

Eren gave a sigh. He could understand the situation Armin was in. Isabell probably flirted with him to get the information. Sly girl, she knew how to get what she wanted. As for Grisha, he probably tricked Armin into confessing. Grisha was probably ecstatic that Eren was doing something with friends. So he probably just kept quiet about it and had Hannes join along to ensure the children's safety.

Plus, it's not like Eren _told_ Armin to keep it a secret.

"Alright, let's just hurry up and go." Eren said with a tinge of irritation.

"Where _do_ we go." Hannes stated as he looked at the map.

"It's all just a bunch of chicken scrap. And how are we suppose to find the X?"

"That easy, Mr. Hannes." Armin lit up with excitement.

"Eren was able to decipher the code. So we have a rough estimate of where it is."

The code.

Eren decided to just go with the fact that the German writing was 'code'. Yesterday, he told Armin he could decipher it. After spending some time 'deciphering' it, he wrote down what the code said.

' _A rock with wings._

' _Under a metal tree.'_

That was what the translated version said.

"We can deduce that the rock with wings is probably the Scout symbol, or maybe just a pair of wings drawn on it. But I have no clue what a metal tree is…" Armin stated his analysis.

' _Most likely a metal contraption made to look like a tree as to not raise suspicion.'_ Eren kept to himself.

"So… Do you really think there is treasure?" Isabell asked.

"The way the code was worded, it made it seem like a meeting place. I wouldn't get your hopes up." Eren stated

"By the way," Eren asked out of curiosity.

"How did you get permission to come out this early in the morning? Forgive me, but your family doesn't seem like the kind that would allow you to go out with complete strangers."

Eren had done some research on the Rommel family. Much like the Reeves, they were merchants. However, whereas the Reeves company was a single organization, the Rommel's were a monopoly of merchant companies.

They were quite rich and well-known. So it will come to a surprise when the father of the household finds out his daughter is missing. A search party may be sent and Eren really didn't want this little 'treasure' hunt to become known. He had a theory on why the map was in German and if all things worked out he would gain from this experience.

Well, the only way to find out if it was true or not was to go to the location.

"Oh, I told my older brother about it! He was understanding and said he would handle my dad when the time came. He just told me to have a fun time." She responded cheerfully.

Eren gave her a deadpan stare.

"Your brother let you go off with people he doesn't even know?"

"Hm? I told him you were going. So he said it would be fine." She said innocently.

' _By just saying my name, she was able to go? Hm… It must because my father is Dr. Yeager. Yeager is a trusted member of society, so I can understand why he would trust the Yeager name. But still, has Isabell's brother been doing research on me?'_

It was then that something clicked in Eren's brain. He had heard that the Rommel's have a natural born prodigy. Obviously, it wasn't Isabell, so it must have been her brother. This brother was smart. He _had_ to cover all the bases. He most likely did research on Eren himself.

Because that's what The Führer would have done. Because both The Führer and Isabell's brother were siscons.

Of course, neither know of that of that little fact, and both would deny it if it was ever brought up.

In any case, it's what The Führer did with Nicholas.

And it's what Isabell's brother was doing to Eren.

' _This guy has a behavior pattern similar to mine… I would like to meet him, if only to sate my curiosity. Who knows, he may prove to be entertaining.'_

"There it is! The forest!" Armin shouted with glee.

He most likely deduced that there wasn't hidden treasure either. So he came to the conclusion that it could be an artifact from the old world, hence his excitement.

"C'mon! Let's go!" Armin practically radiated with joy.

They wandered the forest for a few hours, searching for this rock with wings.

For the first few hours, they bore no fruit in their search.

It wasn't until a little bit after noon that they found it.

"This is it!" Armin shouted with glee.

It was near the outskirts of the forest. Far enough in that the foliage was still thick, but close enough that it was only a few minutes until you came out of the forest.

The rock sat underneath a tree. Sure enough, it had the Scout's symbol on it.

The wings of freedom were crudely etched onto the surface of the stone.

"So… What does the metal tree part stand for?" Hannes asked in curiosity.

Eren's response was to go toward the tree and rap his knuckles on it.

The sound it produced was not what one would normally hear when they knocked on a tree.

The sound of metal being banged on was heard.

"I-It's made out of metal?" Isabell said in wonder.

"Okay, so they made a tree that looks like metal. How does this help us?" Hannes skeptically added.

"T-There has to be something here. M-Maybe another clue?" Armin started worrying. He had hoped he would find more knowledge relating to the outside. But what if it was just a meeting spot? What if this tree was the designated spot for a meeting? Nothing less and nothing more. Armin grew afraid this was it for their adventure.

Meanwhile, Eren observed the tree while the others spoke. Giving it a critical eye. He had learned from his near miss in Grisha's office. He had to double check everything when it came to these types of situations.

Eren will admit, mystery and adventurous stuff wasn't his forte. However, if he put his mind to it, he could find abnormalities in places. He noticed one on the metal tree.

While the part he knocked on was metal, the fact was that the tree was still organic. It had leaves growing on it. After inspecting the tree, he noticed that the part he knocked on was only a certain amount of metal.

He came to a conclusion that it was a doorway.

And a doorway must have a door handle or at least a switch to open it.

It was terribly cliché, but Eren started pulling down tree branches.

He had to climb to reach it, but eventually one gave in. Like a light switch, it was flipped into a different position. The noise of gears turning and metal grinding was heard. The metal section of the tree started to open.

"W-What did you do?" Armin asked in complete shock.

"I was just inspecting the tree. I must have flipped something and this happened." Eren responded.

He stated this because he found it would be too troublesome to explain why he had.

Everyone accepted this answer.

Everyone except Isabell.

She was watching Eren the whole time and from her point of view, it didn't seem like the accident Eren was making it out to be.

Her brother had told her to watch him. If he had any strange behavior, she was to report it to him.

This was the deal she made with him in order to go out with Eren. She had accepted because she thought nothing of it. It was relatively cheap when compared to how her brother was going to have to cover for her because she went out without permission.

But now that Isabell had watched Eren with eyes that weren't affected by affection for him, she noticed odd behaviors about him.

For lack of better words, Eren was weird.

His movements, the way he spoke, it all was weird.

It was as if he was a man stuck in a child's body.

Or rather, it was as if a man was trying to act as a child.

But that didn't make sense. Perhaps Eren's maturity was just that high?

Isabell had some kind of affection for him. Whether this was love or not was hard to tell.

But there was one fact that Isabell knew.

Eren was pretty cool.

During classes, he was always last to come out. Many made fun of him for being last, claiming he never understood the lessons and needed the extra help. Truth was, he was so smart that he would make everyone in the room feel mentally retarded. So he was last as to not do that.

He was considerate.

During their walks home, he answered all her riddles. So far he has always gotten it on the first guess.

He was perceptive.

When Eren and Armin partook in reading, they always shared knowledge that went over her head.

He was smart.

When he was searching the tree, he found the switch and opened the door. Yet, he did not take credit for it. Claiming that 'he must have flipped something' suggesting it was a coincidence.

He was humble

And yet, he had the one characteristic that most girls craved in a man.

He was mysterious.

Isabell prided herself on being a good judge of character. Her father sometimes lets her sit in on interviews so he could get her opinion on some of the people.

She was similar to Eren on this matter, about how she didn't boast how she could judge people.

However, Eren was a completely different story.

She couldn't read him.

It interested her. Her, who has never failed to judge anyone, could not read this child.

It was why she braved the dangers of this trip. So she could get closer to him.

She wanted to understand him. She didn't know whether he was bad or good. Perhaps he was insane. She just couldn't tell.

Perhaps that is just what she is into. Mysterious men.

' _Ah geez. Maybe I shouldn't have told my brother about him. Knowing him, he might try to 'recruit' Eren for the future… But then again, if Eren started getting close to my brother, I could get even closer to him.'_ Isabell thought as the sounds of metal on metal stopped.

"So… This is it?" Hannes peered into the doorway. The trunk was hollowed out. A ladder was seen leading down below into the darkness

"So… Who goes first?" Isabell asked, creeped out a little by the darkness.

"Ladies first." was Eren's retort.

The silence that followed was excruciating.

Everyone just gave him a deadpan look.

"... That was a joke."

''' _Did Eren just try to do a joke?!'''_ was the thought that ran through their minds.

"Guess I'll go first. Don't worry, this adult gots your back." Hannes said as he descended the ladder.

As Hannes went down, Armin couldn't help but think about Eren.

He was smart, but he also seemed distant.

Armin let a small smile on his face.

Eren was starting to become comfortable around them. That crack at a joke was all the evidence they needed, even if it was horrible.

"Hey!" Hannes called up.

"Everything seems fine, just watch your step."

Armin immediately dismissed what he was thinking about as excitement washed over him. He went straight to the ladder, braving the darkness.

Eren and Isabell were left remaining on the surface.

Eren looked at Isabell.

Isabell looked back.

"Guess I'll… go next." Eren said.

' _How awkward.'_

' _A strange man indeed.'_

* * *

Eren was surprised at how much space there was in the secret bunker. Sure, it was small, but considering the technology that was used within the walls, it must have been hard to dig out.

A lantern, lit by Hannes, sat at one of the three tables. Papers were shrewd around. Dust dominated the area.

This place was old.

Hannes was sitting on a chair, flipping through a book. Armin was looking at a piece of one of the scattered papers, eyebrows scrunched in concentration. Isabell soon joined them at the bottom.

"What is this place?" Isabell asked in wonder.

"Don't know." Hannes responded as he turned another page in the book.

"But it looks like a workshop. This book has detailed drawings of a machine. But I can't read any of the writing"

"It's all in code." Armin finally revealed.

Eren walked over to one of the papers and looked at it. Armin was right. The writing was all in German. Or code, as everyone but Eren was led to believe.

"Can you decipher them?" Armin looked at Eren hopefully.

"I can try. Hannes, give me that book." Eren asked.

Hannes gave the book to Eren. As Eren received it, he flipped through the pages, briefly glancing at their contents and then turning to the next page.

This process repeated for awhile.

"Hannes, what do you think this book was about?" Eren finally asked as he continued to look at the book.

"I don't know. The drawings were detailed well enough… I honestly can't say."

Eren gave a sigh as he closed the book.

"This was a bust." He said

"W-What do you mean?" Armin looked at him, face beginning to transform into sorrow.

"I am saying that all of this is the ramblings of a madman." Eren said as he glanced at another piece of paper.

"Or rather, it is the writing of someone insane."

"What are you trying to say, Eren?" Isabell asked in confusion.

"From what I can glance from this book, the man was an author. He wrote books. However, I am guessing he grew suspicious of people stealing his works. So he wrote in code. This book started off as a fictional story. However, it delves off into random subjects. The papers are probably discarded plots or themes for stories."

"S-So what you're saying…"

"This is just the den of an insanely paranoid writer. Sorry, Armin. There is nothing here."

Armin looked downtrodden. He believed Eren. There was no reason for him to lie to him. They were best friends. Plus, it made sense. All that was around here was tables, papers, and a book. Nothing else indicating there was something more.

"So there really is nothing?" Armin asked again, hoping there was more to it.

Eren gave a shrug.

"Sorry."

With a sniffle, Armin headed back to the ladder and climbed up.

Hannes was soon after him, muttering something about a waste of time.

Isabell just stared at Eren. Her eyes were narrowed, hands on her hips.

"What?" Eren responded after Isabell continued to glare at him.

"Armin is heartbroken." She said.

"I told him not to get his hopes up."

" _Eren._ " She didn't shout. She didn't hiss.

She just said his name.

So why did it give him a chill?

Eren pinched the bridges of his nose.

"Listen, Isabell." Eren began. "Trust me on this. It is best if we just leave it as it is."

After a few seconds of Isabell staring at Eren, she turned to go up the ladder.

Eren gave a sigh as he walked around the bunker once again, picking up a few papers that caught his interest as he did a once-over. He went to the lantern and blew it out. Concealing the book within his shirt, he headed for the ladder.

Eren had lied many times before, so why did doing it now leave such a bitter taste in his mouth?

* * *

A few weeks had passed since Eren and company went to that bunker.

Eren was resting in his usual spot outside the inner gates of wall Maria.

For a few minutes, he sat there, breathing the crisp air.

After enough time elapsed he got up and sat with his back to a tree.

He took out a book hidden within his shirt.

A red book that seemed worn out.

The same book that Hannes was reading in the bunker.

The book with the title _Angel's Tagebuch_.

Angel's Journal.

With one hand, Eren turned to the page where he last left off.

With a smirk, he began reading the about creations that this inventor known as Angel Aaltonen created.

As well as an interesting theory regarding the king of the walls.

* * *

"I know it's not much, but I really just can't read him." Isabell said with a cute pout.

"That is quite fine. All that you have said was really interesting." A boy, no less than fifteen, said.

He was of average height for his age, had blond hair with blue eyes. Similar in appearance to Isabell.

"Okay, but what are you going to do with all this information, brother?" Isabell asked.

"Oh, nothing." Isabell's brother dismissed with a smile.

"I was just curious about the boy who piqued your interest. Is it wrong to learn about my future brother-in-law?" The man teased his younger sister.

"D-Don't say stuff like that!" Isabell denied with a blush on her face.

He just continued to look at her with a knowing smile.

"I-Idiot." She muttered out as she left the room.

The blond man gave a sigh as he now stood alone in his room. He went to his desk and pulled open a drawer. Within it he pulled out a folder, opening it to reveal the contents within it.

"My Lord, Erwin Rommel." A man appeared behind him.

"I want you to go to the place my sister just described." He ordered without looking back

"...If I find anything?"

"You won't. I just want to make sure, is all."

Erwin once again glanced at the papers within the folder.

They were all reports about Eren Yeager.

"It started out as me investigating the boy who caught my little sister's attention." He muttered

"But now…" Rommel let out a chuckle.

"This boy, just what is he planning?"


	3. Chapter 2

_The screaming and pleading was the only sound the two boys could hear._

 _Nicholas had his eyes on the ground, refusing to look at the scene that was unfolding in front of them._

 _The other boy was a different matter._

 _His eyes roamed the scene with a look of disgust._

 _Woman after woman were getting violated._

 _Even little girls, as disgusting as that was._

 _Most were broken, succumbing to the advances of the men. Losing themselves in the prison known as pleasure._

 _The others were still resisting with tears in their eyes._

 _They wouldn't last long._

 _After witnessing the carnage that unfolded, the boy doubted they would. Having husbands, fathers, and brothers slaughter right in front of you tended to damage the mental side of things._

 _Add in the fact they were getting rape, the boy could only conclude that their mind would soon vanish._

" _Disgusting, isn't it." Nicholas spoke up, eyes never leaving the ground._

" _This is war. To the victor, the spoils go."_

" _We're just like them." Nicholas continued._

" _We're mercenaries. Our only allegiance is to whoever pays the bills."_

" _That's not what I meant!" Nicholas grounded out through clenched teeth._

" _Us, just stand here, doing nothing! We might as well as rape them ourselves." Unshed tears could be seen in Nicholas' eyes._

" _The commander gave the order to enjoy ourselves to our heart's content. The only thing we can do is sit back and watch." The boy gave him a narrowed look._

" _Unless you want to join it."_

" _No! Never." Nicholas said without hesitation._

 _Only the noise of moans and grunts could be heard as the boys stood together._

" _Power…" Nicholas muttered._

" _If only I had the power to change this world."_

' _You don't even have the power to look at it, and now you're saying you want to change it?' the boy thought skeptically._

" _What kind of power?" The boy asked out of curiosity._

" _The power to change."_

 _It was a vague word and really didn't answer the boy's question._

" _The power to change." the boy mused._

" _So, what you're saying, is that you want to change the world. Say you do, what then? How would you enforce your rule?"_

 _Nicholas didn't answer._

 _The boy looked around as he noticed most girls have stopped resisting._

" _You would need an army." The boy said._

" _An army, just like them."_

* * *

An army.

Eren thought back to his first life. He had been a mercenary, as it was the easiest way to get money for the huge debt he and his sister had.

But thinking back on it, some of his contractors were really nasty people.

There were no laws against it, but most commanders had the common courtesy of not having the women of the enemy side violated.

But then again, it _was_ a huge morale booster for the men.

As Eren laid down on the grass in his favorite spot, his thoughts went to the core of the idea.

He needed an army.

Eren had no doubt he could manipulate as many people as he needed to follow him.

The problem was his age.

No one would listen to a seven year old child.

With a sigh, Eren got up to leave for home.

Carla was making his favorite stew.

* * *

The fingers made a tapping noise that was heard throughout the room.

"So you found nothing within the room?"

"Nothing, sir."

"Not even the papers that were strewn about?"

"It was all clean, besides the dust."

A moment of silence filled the room.

"Very well, leave me."

As a soft clicking noise was heard, Erwin Rommel pulled back the drapes on the window, letting the light shine within the room.

A noticeable smile was on his face.

"Writings of a madman, you say? Then why did you take every single document of it, Eren Yeager?" Rommel began to laugh.

"You're not plotting anything diabolical, are you?" A sweet voice was heard.

"Why, dear little sister, whatever gave you that idea?" Rommel said to the girl that just entered the room.

"Because you're doing the laugh. You know, _that_ laugh." Isabell came up to his desk, looking at him with narrowed eyes.

"Is this about Eren?" She asked.

"What could you possibly mean?" Rommel tried to dismiss his sister's suspicion.

"You had one of your guys check the place we went to just a few weeks back."

Rommel dropped his smile and opted to widen his eyes a margin.

"Let me guess, you found nothing."

"How did you…"

"I am guessing something pretty scary was on those papers." Isabell interrupted as her gaze became downcast.

"I never thought Eren would lie like that."

Rommel looked at his sister as her gaze continued to sadden. A little feeling of rage bubbled up inside of him due to seeing someone causing his sister some distress.

"Bell." The older brother finally said.

"You tell Eren riddles you come up with, correct?"

A nod to confirm what he already knew.

"Then the next time you see him, tell him this…"

* * *

It was much like the riddles that Isabell spoke to him every day. Simple and easy to answer.

Eren had already taken into account how and when to start building an army. The problem was time. He didn't have it. The enemy could attack long before he even had the chance to rebel. That, in itself, wasn't necessarily bad. If the enemy attacked, he could use that as an excuse to rebel as well. The problem was his age.

He was simply too young. No one would wish to be ordered by a kid who hasn't even reached puberty. The simple solution was to simply manipulate someone who was older. He would prefer if it was someone well influence, but that brings into the problem of trust.

Could he trust the person older than him? Most of the nobles were fine with the current situation. Hell, pretty much everyone was. Sure, there were some complaints among the common folk, but that was few and far between. How could he trust anyone with his plans to change the world if they didn't want change in the first place?

"I am tall when I am young, yet short when I am old."

"A candle."

He could change the way people thought. With the evidence and theories that Angel Aaltonen had came up it would help with shedding light onto the darkness of the royal family. Not to mention the powerful inventions the man came up.

Eren suppressed a shiver.

This was the same man who dedicated his life to creating tools simply for the destruction of Titan. All because he lost someone he cared for. The weapons…

Needless to say, they weren't advanced as his past life, but they were certainly efficient. All the contraptions relied on the gas that was used for the vertical maneuver gear. No electricity, no fuel, just natural gas found in certain caves throughout the land within the walls.

"How can a pants pocket be empty and still have something in it?"

"The fabric lined within the pocket… No wait, that is the pocket itself… It would have to be a hole in the pocket."

The problem boiled down to this: he was too young for people to take him seriously. He couldn't have someone older than him act as a proxy for fear of betrayal. That is unless he knew the person's motives.

The best option would be to just try and manipulate someone older than. Perhaps his father? No, if he read the books correctly, his father won't be around for long. Granted, his books didn't look quite finished. There were still some questions that had yet to be answered. It would be best to wait till he actually finished them to read them fully.

"I move very slowly at an imperceptible rate, although I take my time, I am never late. I accompany life, and survive past demise, I am viewed with esteem in many women's eyes. What am I?"

Eren stopped his brooding to think. He and Isabell were going through their normal routine of riddles. This was the first one that Isabell told that actually require him to think.

He eventually stopped walking altogether, opting to think on what the riddle was. The key word was that 'viewed with esteem in many women's eyes', however, the word many didn't mean all. It was also the fact that it survived past demise, so it ruled out a loved one.

Never late? Most likely extra noise to trip you up.

So why? Why was he struggling to come with an answer? A little voice in his head jested that it was him the riddle referred to. Moving at an imperceptible rate likening to how he planned out everything thoroughly. The ironic contradiction of surviving past demise was his reincarnation. But viewed with esteem in women's eyes?

Truly, a jest.

"Clothes." Eren went with the safe option. Disregarding the extra noise, he was certain this was the answer.

"Buzz." Isabell made a negative buzzing sound. "Incorrect! Try again!"

She said it with the utmost glee, finally having something that trumped Eren's intelligent. Normally, Eren would just dismiss this riddle. But that was when he was younger. It irked him so that there was something he didn't know.

And the smug look on Isabell's face didn't help with matters.

' _If it is held in such high esteem, then could it be apart of a woman's body? Skin? No, it doesn't survive past demise. Ugh…'_

"... know..." Eren mumbled.

"Sorry, what was that?" Isabell made a mocking gesture by cupping her had to her ear, Cheshire grin adorned her face

"You're really enjoying this?"

"Whatever could you mean?"

"Fine." Eren let out a sigh. "You didn't come up with this riddle."

"What?!" Isabell faked a hurtful expression. "What could ever lead you to such a conclusion?"

"It's because…" Eren trailed off.

"C'mon, say it."

"Ugh, you infuriating woman." Eren let out a frustrated sigh.

"I don't know! There, are you satisfied! Now, who came up with the riddle? You couldn't have done it by yourself."

"Really?" Isabell said. "You don't wish to know the answer, even though it is _so_ obvious. Truly, Eren, you don't understand women."

She did this all why flicking her hair with her hand, having it sway in the wind. Eren looked at the blond locks as his mood sour as it was rubbed in his face that he didn't know what it was.

Her hair…

Then his eyes widened.

"Ugh..." He rubbed his eyes. "I will admit, it stung when I didn't know the answer, but for you to take pity on me and show such an obvious hint… That's a blow to my pride."

"Hmm." Isabell gave a hum. "So I take it that you finally know it?"

"Yes. Taking into consideration that it takes it time and accompanies life, I have deduced that it can grow and is apart of the body. However, since it survives after demise, there are only two things that don't decay after death. Bones and hair. The last part of the riddle answers which one it is out of the two. Most women hold their hair instead of their bone in high esteem."

"Ding-ding-ding." Isabell said in quick succession. "We have a winner!"

"Now then…"

"My brother." Isabell answered Eren's question. "He wanted me to test you. I was to ask the riddle and if you didn't know it, I was to give an obvious hint."

"But why?"

"If you passed, he wanted to see you. So, you have time?"

Eren contemplated meeting Isabell's brother. He was dangerous. Just this simple test confirmed that. He wanted to see how aware Eren was. By having his sister do something so mundane as flick her hair, he wanted to see if he was observant and could connect two to two.

Eren's eyes widen a margin as he began making plans regarding the eldest Rommel, a small smirk formed on his face. From what Isabell had said about her brother, he pretty much had his personality pinned down.

"My parents won't expect me till later. Can we go right now?"

Perhaps this may just solve his problems.

* * *

"A gated community?" Eren asked as they passed a gate that local Garrison troops were guarding. "I thought the Garrison only did repairs on the walls."

"Most of the rich and influential people live together." Isabell answered. "The government stations Garrison troops here for our protection. You should know how it is, the rich can afford the extra protection."

Eren nodded to that answer. It was to be expected. In a government ruled over by a king, nobles took high priority when it came to protection. They were probably a huge source of income for the crown.

"I never knew we would have one in Shiganshina. Aren't people generally afraid to live in the cities that are used to lure Titans?"

"Yeah, and besides my father, there are only two other nobles that live in this community. Of course, I would say they are the snobbish kind. Taking up all this land. But then again, I guess I am not that different."

Eren rose an eyebrow at what Isabell said. It was interesting how humble she became since she started hanging out with Eren. It wasn't that long ago since she was waving around a handkerchief like a trophy.

"What? Why are you smiling?" Isabell caught Eren's smile.

Eren himself was shocked, immediately erasing the smile from his face.

"Ah." Eren came up with an excuse. "I just thought of something funny was all."

"Oh?" Isabell wasn't buying it. "What was it?"

"It's an inside joke, you wouldn't understand." Eren kept up the lie.

"Try me." She said with a pout.

"Isn't this your house?" Eren decided to change the subject.

The two stood in front of what Eren could only describe as a plantation house. There was a fountain that stood erected near the front of the entrance.

"Quite impressive."

"Wait until you see the inside." Isabell grabbed his arm to lead him toward the house.

Eren felt something that he had been going through multiple times recently.

Excitement.

First, it was those books in Grisha's office, then it was Angel's journal, and now this. If he could play this right, perhaps he could achieve his first piece on this board that was this world.

"Young Mistress." A feminine voice belonging to someone dressed in a maid outfit spoke up as soon as they entered the house. "I have tea and cookies prepare—oh, I see you brought a friend. Shall I prepare snacks for him as well?"

"Hello, Mary." Isabell identified the maid. "Yes, if you could, that would be wonderful."

"Of course, Young Mistress."

"Might I inquire where my brother is?"

"Unfortunately, you just missed him." The maid spoke. "He stepped out for a bit, but should be back soon, Young Mistress."

"Alright, thank you, Mary." Isabell dismissed the maid.

"What?" Isabell asked as Eren stared at her.

"Nothing… It's just, you are really formal. I don't mean to be rude, but I didn't expect you to act like that."

"Hmpf." Isabell crossed her arms. "My father says if you want respect, be the first to give it."

"A wise and generous man indeed." Eren commented. "I suppose not many nobles like him?"

"Oh?" Isabell expressed her shock. "You sure are perceptive. You found that out just by that one saying?"

"You find out a lot of things just by looking at how one acts. Even the words they say describes their personalities. They say actions speak louder than words, but I believe words are the most destructive."

"An interesting viewpoint." Isabell said. "Anyways, Mary probably put the snacks in my room. Come on!"

And just like that, Isabell had become a kid once again in Eren's eyes. No, perhaps that wasn't right. She expressed a unique fortitude for talking with others. Eren was surprised at how easy she got him to open up to her, and the way she could detect lies was fascinating.

Perhaps she could provide a use in the future? Yes, she would be wonderful for diplomacy.

Eren had to admit, the cookies were good, once they arrived at Isabell's bedroom. The room was large, bigger than his house even. But the cookies. He hadn't tasted anything like them before. Although Grisha was a doctor, Carla wasn't to keen on buying sweets, even though they could spare the expense. So Eren took advantage of Isabell's hospitality.

Isabell began to chuckle.

"Whalf." Eren tried to ask with a mouth full of sweets.

"So your the type that has a sweet tooth."

"N-No." Eren said as he finally swallowed the last morsels of the cookies. "I just never get the change to eat this type of stuff."

"Suuure~" Isabell said as she started to poke Eren's cheek, which still had crumbs on it. A light dusting of pink could be found on Eren's face has Isabell laughed at his expense.

"Young Mistress." The maid, Mary, knocked and entered the room. "The Young Master, your brother, has arrived."

With her job done, the maid closed the door with a silent click and left.

"Ah." Isabell let out a sigh as she stood up. "I suppose we should do what you came for in the first place."

"Yes." Eren wiped the crumbs off his face with a napkin. "It will be getting late soon, so it is best if we began our conversation."

As Isabell led the way, Eren couldn't help but think how the conversation would go down. He had done some research on the Rommel's, but it wasn't anything like a background check. All he could do was overhear conversations or ask people who were in a drunken stupor.

Admittedly, he was going in this blind. He had a few descriptions from Isabell, but all he practically knew was the boy was fifteen and a prodigy. However, after hearing Isabell talk about him, Eren could probably deduce how to approach him.

Probably.

"Here we are." Isabell stated as they arrived at a double door at the end of the hallway. "This is my brother's office. It's smaller than my father's upstairs, but it is still fairly large.

"Anyway, I am sure he wishes to talk to you alone." Isabell began to leave. "Good luck~"

Eren breathed in and out as he mentally prepared himself for what was essentially a political talk. He had done this many times in his past life, but he was a little rusty.

It also didn't help that he felt like he was about to ask for a blessing.

Eren amused himself with that thought. The boy wasn't even the father, yet if Eren could pinpoint his personality from what Isabell has said about him, he is certainly the overprotective type regarding his sister.

Eren walked up to the door and rapped it with his knuckles. Entering once he was given permission.

"Eren Yeager, I presume?" The boy looked just like Isabell. Blue eyes, blond hair. "Please, take a seat."

Eren accepted the gesture and sat down. Looking around the office, he found it sparse. A plant by the window and an organized desk with stacks of paper on the side.

"Your sister, Isabell, told me you wanted to talk?" Eren decided to lead. "She has told me a lot about you."

"All good things I hope." The eldest Rommel chuckled. "Anyways, I suppose I should introduce myself.

"I am Erwin Rommel. A pleasure to finally meet you in person."

' _T-The Desert Fox?!'_ Eren thought out in surprise.

He knew he had heard the name Rommel before. He just hadn't put two and two together. Erwin Rommel was a prominent general from The Führer's past. Known as the Desert Fox, many feared him.

Eren coughed into the crook of his arm to hide the maniacal smile that had just formed on his face.

What luck!

If Rommel was anything like the Desert Fox from The Führer's past then Eren truly stumbled upon a trove of gold.

If he could get Rommel on his side…

"It's nice to meet you." Eren said as he recovered from his bout of excitement.

"Now, you are probably wondering why I asked to meet you." Rommel said as he took out a file from his desk. "I'll just cut to the chase."

He slid the file toward Eren, prompting him to grab it and look at the title.

The title was labeled 'Eren Yeager'.

"I would like to say I meant no offense." Rommel began as Eren opened the file to look at the contents. "But in all honesty, I just wanted to find out a bit more about the boy who caught my little sister's fancy."

Eren's mouth was slightly opened as he read the contents of the file.

It had everything on him. _Everything._ His birthday, his childhood, the fact he had cleaned out the hidden bunker, and even the fact he made a hole in the wall.

"Imagine my surprise when I also uncovered all this stuff you were doing." Rommel continued. "You do realize what you have done is treason and could get you executed?"

Eren closed the file and put it down on the desk, eyes narrowed toward Rommel. Rommel gave an involuntary gulp at the gaze of the boy in front of him.

"At times it did feel like people were watching me." Eren continued with his dark glare. "So it was you then?"

"Yes." Rommel recovered quite quickly from the glare.

"I am curious." Eren asked. "What did you hope to accomplish when you showed me all this evidence that could practically seal my fate?"

Rommel cleared his throat as he began.

"Call it curiosity. I wish to know why you did all that you did. If you were any other man, I would have brought all this evidence to the Military Police. But my sister has taken a liking to you, so I decided to give you the benefit of the doubt. So…" Rommel leaned forward.

" _Why._ "

It wasn't a question. This time, it was Rommel's turn to give Eren a cold glare.

Eren inhaled and exhaled, then he got up and stood on the chair he was sitting on. Now looking down at Rommel, albeit barely, he began.

"At first it was simple curiosity. Then I learned the secrets of the walls. The secrets of the _king_. Tell me, Rommel, are you so naive to believe that everyone in the world was simply _devoured_ by the Titans?"

"Well, I will admit, I never gave it much thought."

"Well, I have." Eren continued. "And by simply asking these questions over and over, I have come to the simple conclusion. _They have not_."

"What are you—"

"Tell me, Rommel" Eren cut the boy off. "What is the best way to unite people under one rule? What is the best way to keep them from rebelling?"

Rommel stopped to think, then his eyes widen as the simple prompt got him thinking.

"A common enemy. The Titans serve that purpose. And, if what you are saying is true, the simple hope of others surviving the Titan onslaught would give others hope. Hope that the government doesn't want!"

Rommel stood from his chair, now eye level with Eren.

"But, how? I can understand the why, but how? Surely our ancestors would have known that others have survived. Yet, it is almost impossible for everyone to agree to the logic of keeping silent."

"Yes." Eren said as he reached behind him, pulling out the journal that Angel had written. "This is the journal I received from that bunker."

"The ramblings of a madman, correct?" Rommel gave off an amused smile.

"Your sister is a good informative." Eren smiled as well. "Of course, what is written here is anything but. In here is written many things. Things we can use against the crown."

"So then, are you suggesting...?"

"Yes." Eren held out the hand that didn't grasp the journal. "Will you join me in overthrowing the king of this land built on lies?"

Silence.

What Eren proposed was the worse crime of all. To overthrow the king in a coup.

Rommel sat back down in his chair. He began to chuckle.

"I suppose you have evidence and a compelling argument that could back up the words you just said."

"Yes, I do." Eren said as he sat down as well. "In fact, I would be concerned if you joined without me convincing you first. But first, can I ask if you do join me, what is your motive and why?"

Rommel was silent as he pondered the question.

"If what you're saying is true, then the king has failed his people. That is something I cannot tolerate. But beyond else, I simply wish to be rid of these walls. It is not good for business, being confined to one area, you see."

Although the motive was vague, Eren accepted this. Most likely he would learn what Rommel truly wanted in the future. But for now, Eren could trust this man.

"Well then." Rommel said as he rested his head on his head. "Begin."

"I noticed you had a report I drilled into the wall. Did you ever look inside the hole?"

"No. My man said it was too small and dark to see what was there. He did say it never made it to the other side, though."

"Yes, I am not suicidal. What I wanted to know was what was inside the walls. Loe and behold, it is the very thing that attacks us that defends us."

"What do you mean?" Rommel prompted for Eren to continue.

"The walls themselves are massive Titans encased in a stone like structure."

This alerted Rommel to full attention as he sat up straight.

"How? That's impossible."

"Is it really improbable for a creature that could regenerate their entire head to encase themselves in stone?"

"But, they are so tall."

"A secret from the king, no doubt. But in all honesty, it is supernatural."

"You mean like a mystic art?"

"Yes. Magic is something that humans can't explain. So without understanding the science behind it, it will remain a mystery. Magic."

"Alright." Rommel said as he knitted his hands together. "I still don't understand how this is worthy of a coup."

"Think about the current information you have, as well as experience." Eren spoke. "Then let me add something onto that. This journal in my hand came up with an interesting theory. It suggested that the king could manipulate memory."

"What? How?"

"It is just a theory, but look at this book." Eren handed him the book.

"...I can't read it."

"It is in a different language. I won't go into detail on how I know it, but it said that the author had a friend. They spoke the same language, however, while the man was in hiding his friend came to him.

"The author stated that his friend and he could speak the same language, but the way they wrote was completely different one day, even though they learn how to write at the same school. My guess is that text of old had survived, describing what had happened in the past. The king, instead of hunting down for the books, decided to change everyone's memory so they couldn't read it."

"And if he could do that." Rommel picked up where Eren left off. "Then he could manipulate the memory of our pasts…"

Eren let Rommel think it over, practically seeing the gears turn in his head.

"Okay," Rommel finally spoke up. "I am sure you have theories, but let me state mine. My guess is that the king has powers that we could describe as god-like. He can manipulate memories and even control Titans. It would explain how our ancestors know nothing of outside the walls and how the walls were even made in the first place.

"My guess is that we were once at war with a different human civilization. This land, it is brimming with resources. It wouldn't be surprising if different lands wanted this land. So, to keep us from a dangerous war, he created Titans and the walls, keeping people out. However, to prevent uprisings, he manipulated everyone's memories. But why would they create the Scouts if this was the case?"

"My guess? Let those who want change kill themselves off. It is much more efficient than simply finding false accusations to subdue them for."

Rommel stayed silent for a while, both hadn't even realized the sun was starting to set.

"This, this information or rather, speculation is enough to overthrow the king. At least, it gives us the motive to start researching the subject. But how do we go about doing it? If the king really can manipulate memories, how can we fight against that?"

"We would have to mainly stick to the shadows. Operating in the cover at night. And when the time comes to strike, we do it swiftly. It would be best to have the common people backing us up.

"In all honesty, I would have to work out the kinks and details when I actually have resources at my disposal. Call it a gut feeling, but I have a feeling there is more to this than we could ever imagine."

"So then, only time will tell?"

"Perhaps not even that."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you really think the enemies, those we ran from, would sit by and be idle? You said yourself this land was brimming with resources."

"Are you saying they could attack? Even getting past the Titans?"

"Possibly. You looked in the book, yes? Those drawings are contraptions used solely for the purpose of defeating Titans, however, they would probably work just as fine on humans if one outfitted it correctly."

"Hmm." Rommel was lost in thought. "To think there would be a day when we had to fight against our own kin. This is a large endeavor for just two kids to accomplish."

"Yes, however, I believe if we work together, we can accomplish so much."

"What do you mean."

"I have given some more thought to this, so if you could act as a proxy, we could get what we desperately need."

"That being?"

"An army."

* * *

The carriage jolted slightly as the two boys rode down the dark rode.

"I didn't expect you could drive a carriage." Eren stated, slightly impressed.

"Ha!" Rommel gave a laugh. "Although it is a monopoly, we are still a family of merchants at heart. My father likes to keep to that tradition."

"Well, I must thank you, for giving me ride home."

"Don't sweat it. It's pretty late, so I figured I could take you home and explain things to your mother."

"Yeah, and I don't even need to give directions!"

"I know! It is as if I was omniscience!"

The conversation died out as the boys chuckled. They rode in silence for a while, until Rommel decided to speak up.

"I have to ask, how do you know so much? Your reasoning and comprehension skills. It is frightening, to say the least."

"Would you believe me if I said I was reincarnated from another world?"

"Yes."

Eren sputtered at that. He had meant it has a joke and didn't think that he would take it seriously.

"W-Wait, you believe me?"

"It would explain much. Like how you know that langue. Plus, I just joined you in the endeavor of overthrowing a king that could control Titans. Much won't surprise me much anymore. Although, I half-expected you to be a demon possessing a boy."

"Huh." Eren didn't know how to state that. He had expected that when he was revealed to be a reincarnated being, it would be climatic. Well, it's not like he is going to go around shouting he is.

"Just do me a favor and don't tell anyone. For your sake, they may think you are crazy."

"Yeah." Rommel agreed. "They probably wouldn't even believe it. Although, this does give us an advantage. Did your past life have any advancements that could help us?"

"Oh, you have no idea." Eren gave off a smirk.

"Looks like we are here." Rommel pulled on the reins of the horse, stopping them in front of Eren's house. "I would like to apologize to your mother and father as well as speak with them about future meetings. Is that alright?"

"Yeah." Eren said as he got off the carriage. "I'll leave the talking to you."

As Eren entered the house, he was immediately assaulted by Carla.

"Oh, Eren~" She clutched Eren to her chest. "Where were you! We were just about to go out and look for you!"

"Yes, I am afraid that would be my doing." Rommel decided to step in. "I am Erwin Rommel. Your son goes to school with my sister, Isabell. They are close friends and I had wanted to meet him since my sister talks much about him.

"We got carried away with our talk and before we knew it it was dark out. So I wanted to personally apologize for keeping your son."

"Rommel?" Grisha spoke up. He had a coat and hat on, most likely about to go out and search. "Isn't that the family that owns the monopoly of merchants along the southern and western region of the walls?"

"Yes, that would be my father." Rommel explained. "We have our residence based out here in Shiganshina."

"Oh my." Carla had let go of Eren. "I didn't know you were friends with the daughter of someone like that."

"Neither did I." Eren said. He had known it was a monopoly, but to cover the entirety of the Western and Southern regions? Certainly large.

"Also." Rommel continued. "Eren has helped me with suggestions on projects. It is part of the reason why we stayed so late. So I was wondering if I could be so selfish and ask for your son to help me on certain projects. I will properly imburse him for his efforts."

Carla and Grisha were shocked.

"T-That's… I mean… our son." Carla was reduced to a stuttering mess.

"May I ask what he would be working on? He is only seven." Grisha kept a cool head.

"My god, he is only seven?!" Rommel acted with mock surprise. "You sir, have a truly talented son. Why, I would have never guessed he was such an age. In any case, he would just be there to help with suggestions. He has quite the… imagination, to say the least."

Grisha frowned as he thought over what Rommel had said.

"What do you think dear?" Grisha decided to get some input from his wife.

"Uh, yes. This, Isabell you said? Is she the same age as Eren?"

"Yes." Rommel answered promptly.

"Then why don't we let him!"

"Um, darling…" Grisha tried to talk more with Carla, but she grabbed him by the shoulder and took him to the side.

"Listen, dear." She whispered so only Grisha could hear. "They are a well-off family that has a daughter the same age as Eren. If we let them get close, they could get married! We would be set for life! Plus, he is getting paid just for giving his input. I say go for it."

"But… Alright." Grisha finally relented and went up to the Eren.

"Eren, are you alright with doing this?"

"I am." Was Eren's only response.

"Very, well." He turned to Rommel. "If it is his desire, then I won't hold him back."

"Thank you very much, sir." Rommel went up and shook Grisha's hand. "I promise, you won't regret this. I will make sure he is home at reasonable times."

"Just make sure you don't hurt my boy." Grisha whispered to Rommel as he tightened his grip on the shake.

"Of course sir." Both men stopped the handshake. "I even have the feeling that Eren here will run me ragged with his ideas."

"Do you want anything while you are here?" Carla tried to offer refreshments.

"No." Rommel declined. "That is quite alright. It is late and I best head back to the manor. Thank you for your time and you have my deepest apologies for worrying you so much. Have a good night."

Goodbyes were said and soon it was just the Yeagers within the household. Carla had pestered Eren for details regarding Isabell. He had just told her the bare minimum of their relationship. Simple schoolmate.

"Soul mate~" Carla let out a girlish whine.

"I am going to bed." Was all Eren said to the irritating woman.

* * *

Le Bonus:

Eren knocked on the doors that led to Rommel's office. A prompt 'enter' was all he needed to go in.

He saw Rommel with a stick and ball, lining up a shot for a glass cup that was tipped over.

"Eren! My friend! I just invented a new game!" Rommel said as he tapped the ball with a stick and hit it into the glass cup.

"I call it Sex!" Rommel said with a large grin on his face.

Eren stopped in mid stride to just _look_ at Rommel.

"What?"

"Hmm?" Rommel tilted his head innocently. "It makes sense. You shoot balls into a hole."

"Can't… Can't we just call it golf?" Eren said as he palmed his forehead.

"Hmm." Rommel gave some thought to it. "But golf just doesn't sound right. Or make sense. What does golf even mean?"

"It means… Well, I actually don't know. They just called it that from my past life. And it was an old sport, mainly played by old men."

"Played by old men?!" Rommel yelled out. "Then we should call this game gold digger!"

"No, that's not what I… You know what, nevermind."

* * *

Le Bonus 2:

"You mean like a mystic art?"

"Yes. Magic is something that humans can't explain. So without understanding the science behind it, it will remain a mystery. Magic."

"So like the physics in anime?"

"What do you mean?" Eren asked in confusion.

"You know, those animes. Power of friendships and boners triumph all."

"Er… Actually, we call that—"

"What about the physics of boobs? I mean, have you _seen_ some of those animes?! They're like a bazooka! You could kill countries with those things! Not only that, but they totally disregard the laws of physics."

"Enough!" Eren scooted back the chair in anger. "Of course there is a logical answer to all those questions that disapproves all doubt!"

"That answer being?"

"Anime logic."

"..."

"..."

"Bu—"

"Just accept it, you have lost this battle."

"But that's not a legitimate answer—"

"Of course it is!" Eren got up close to Rommel, eyes crazed. "It is the only way those who rely on science to keep a sane mind. The answer is Anime logic. It has, is, and will be the only answer."

"O-Okay…"

* * *

 **A/N: If you have any questions, just leave a review or pm. For those questions that I missed (Sorry, I didn't seem them until later. Like a lot later) I will now answer them.**

 **Erwin Rommel and Erwin Smith are completely different. Congrats whoever guessed who the Rommel's were. (Although no one said anything ;-;) Also, no. Erwin Rommel will not "manipulate our 'little' Eren".**

 **Levi will appear soon, it is not an AoT fic without him.**

 **There will be slight differences from Canon, but since I am an amateur writer and unoriginal, I will just stick to the timeline and switch it up a bit. Hopefully, by the time we get to the reveal of the armored and colossal Titan, I will be proficient in writing and derail from "Canon".**

 **Also, Mikasa will probably appear next chapter.**

 **Thanks for reading.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Before anything else, I would like to sincerely apologize.**

 **I, for a time, abandoned this story. For this, I am truly sorry.**

 **I fell off the radar with no explanation due to… well, real-life situations.**

 **However, there is some good news.**

 **This story is not dead.**

 **I decided to do a complete rework of it. Currently, I am close to halfway done with the rough draft coming to about 50k words so far.**

 **Originally, the plan was to write it all in one go, then publish it in weekly increments. However, this changed when I was scrolling through an AOT authors fanfic.**

 **I saw that they had faved my story.**

 **This had invoked an emotion in me that I can't really explain. I hadn't been taking this story seriously, and even left the readers in the unknown. This inspired me to go ahead and post the first chapter. However, in light of this new chapter, I decided to post it as a whole new story on fanfiction.**

 **You will be able to find this new story by clicking on my profile and looking for the name:**

 **The Führer: Reborn**

 **Of course, I don't want to just leave this note as a chapter, so I will post the first chapter, or prologue if you will, of Reborn here.**

 **Again, I am sorry for not saying anything. I hope that I will be able to finish this story and work on other ones I have in mind.**

 **In any case, here it is.**

* * *

The sounds of leaves crunching underneath two male's feet could be heard. They climbed the windy road near the base of the mountain, unable to take the horse due to the uneven road.

"Now Eren." The older male spoke to the now named shorter male. "The Ackermans have a daughter named Mikasa. She is the same age as you, so try and get along, okay?"

The younger boy gave a sigh. His eyes looked like a dead fish, without the hint of emotion. It wasn't because he simply couldn't feel, but because everything around him _bored_ him.

The boy, Eren, was with his father Grisha to do a check up on Mrs. Ackerman. Apparently, she was pregnant, so Grisha had often taken trips up to their little abode to check on the health of the Misses.

After a few trips, Grisha decided to bring Eren to meet Mikasa Ackerman. She was around the same age as him, so Grisha thought that they could be friends.

"It depends on her attitude." Eren said in an almost monotone voice, a clear sign he was bored.

"See," Grisha groaned. "That is why you only have one friend."

"Oh?" Eren arched an eyebrow as he looked at his father. "I thought Armin was plenty enough as a friend. Even if I did have others in my little social clique, would they really be friends?"

Grisha frowned at his son's behavior. As Eren grew older, he displayed more of his pessimistic attitude…

No, that wasn't quite right. His attitude was more of that uncaring, or perhaps waiting. As if a demon resided within the boy, waiting to just release its terror upon the world.

Grisha mentally reprimanded himself for having such thoughts about his son. But it was hard to look at the boy and think that there _wasn't_ something unique about him.

Ever since he was born he was always quiet, as if observing his surroundings. He was reclusive, yet when he asked a question he would not let it go until he was satisfied with it.

Such was the case with everything around him. He questioned the giant walls that protected them. The humanoid monsters that feasted on them. He questioned the rule of the king, and if it was justified.

It was scary, downright horror levels of what Eren had thought of. Sometimes he would hear Eren muttering to himself in his room. Thoughts about what was outside the walls. Thoughts of what was _inside_ the walls.

Grisha gave an audible gulp as thoughts of his son ran through his head.

There was no denying it. It pained him so to think it, but Eren was a monster. However, he would be the monster to complete his mission.

"Something wrong, old man?" Eren question in response to Grisha's gulp.

Yes, even if it was wrong for the father to give such a burden to his son, it had to be done. For the Eldians inside the wall and outside.

"Nothing." Grisha said as a small smile formed on his face. "Perhaps I am getting to old for such climbs?"

Eren looked skeptically at Grisha, as if seeing through his lie. However, a simple shrug ended the conversation as Eren deemed it not worth the effort to pursue.

"Ah," Grisha let out a sigh as he saw the Ackerman's house. "It looks like we finally made it."

As Grisha walked up onto the porch, Eren immediately knew something was wrong.

As if sensing the aura, mother nature decided to send down a light sprinkle. While not outright downpour, it still was enough to get one wet.

Eren gave a tsk at the cliche setting. Knowing what must have already happened, he let Grisha confirm his suspicions as he knocked on the door.

"Mr. Ackerman?" Grisha called out as he continued to rap his knuckles on the door. "It's Doctor Yeager. I'm here about the house call?"

When no answer came, Grisha decided to try the door. Opening on request, he was greeted with an unsightly image.

Two bodies laid on the ground, one stabbed in the chest while the other was hacked with an axe. They were Mr. and Mrs. Ackerman respectively.

Eren gave them a look of pity before he turned around, not really in the mood to be staring at a corpse.

"Eren!" Grisha suddenly shouted as he grabbed his son by the shoulders. "I am going down to get the Military Police! The closest station is on the opposite side of the mountain. I need you to go down to the horse and wait for me there! Do you understand?! Don't stray from the path we just took!"

Eren just gave Grisha a bored look. Perhaps he should have shown some form of emotion, just so Grisha wouldn't think him odd. But at this point in time, Eren really didn't care.

Giving a nod as his answer, Grisha immediately smiled with relief.

"They could still be out there. The road I am taking is probably a common road, so they might have taken it. That is why I am sending you by yourself."

Giving Eren a hug, he wished him well as he took off for the station.

Eren gave a sigh. He couldn't fault Grisha's reasoning. The culprits could have taken the more sturdy road in order to traverse the mountain faster.

If they were amateurs.

Most likely, Grisha had probably thought that the group just killed them because they resisted when they were getting robbed. In the commotion, Mikasa, the daughter, ran out and escaped.

But that was not what Eren saw. Firstly, the house wasn't in too much disarray. The culprits, if robbing the place, would have turned it upside down.

The most likely thought was kidnapping. The mother appeared oriental, which was rare inside these walls. And rare could also be defined as exotic…

So why kill the mother? Eren thought of the chance that the mom had resisted. Deciding it was too much trouble, they offed her, taking the kid instead.

A loss, but they still made a profit.

There were probably sick people in the underworld that would buy such a young child as a sex slave.

Eren gave another sigh as he tightened his red scarf around him. The drizzle was getting a little heavier and starting to give him a chill.

Upon adjusting his scarf, his eyes wandered down to the pavement. Specifically the mud near it.

He noticed footprints etched into the earth, the rain slowly washing it away.

They were jumbled together, so Eren couldn't get a good enough read on how many people had left them, but one thing was certain.

These were the people who had killed the Ackermans and took their daughter.

Eren stared at the footprints for a brief second. Grisha had gone the opposite way to get help, but it appears that the criminals went off the road in a completely random direction.

Walking forward, he decided to ignore it. It sounded like too much of a hassle to save just one girl. Plus, the Military Police would be here soon if Grisha has any say in the matter. The corrupt Military Police.

Eren stopped as he gave a dejected sigh.

The Military Police would be too late. The men who kidnapped Mikasa would most likely get away by the time they get here. The MPs would call the case there, saying they will look into it, but never will.

It was already set in stone. Mikasa would become nothing more than a doll for the pleasure of perverted men.

Unless Eren did something about it.

Conflict arose within Eren. He was still young, but with the knowledge of his past life, he could kill the grown adults who kidnapped Mikasa.

But would it be worth it?

He could risk all the plans he had because he jumped the gun and tried to be a hero, only to die in the process.

It was a matter of faith. Could he take them out and rescue the girl? Risking the possibility of death and wasting all his efforts that he took toward his goal?

Yeah, it was better to just leave it at that. One little girl would be the price to pay for his safety.

 _Bruder... ich wünsche mir eine sicherere Welt…_

…

Eren stopped as the language from his past life assaulted his mind. The memory from a past life resurfaced. No, it was like it forced its way into his cerebrum, making him relive those vivid memories.

 _Brother... I wish for a safer world…_

Damn it.

Eren gave a sigh as he changed course, following the footprints that would lead him to his destination.

* * *

Eren lucked out. There appeared to be only two men.

He had followed the footsteps to this rundown house. The rain, leaving a coat of liquid on the ground, had since now stopped. Peering inside the window, he noticed that a man sat in a chair, while another stood over the form of a little girl.

Mikasa.

It appeared that he wasn't too late. She seemed mostly unharmed. A bruise here and there, but it looks like the main thing she would suffer from is mental trauma.

Eren narrowed his eyes at the men who were in the room. They didn't look too athletic, so they probably weren't trained killers. They must have taken the Ackermans by surprise…

Well then, guess he'll do the same.

"Hm," The man standing gave a groan. "She doesn't appear all that energetic. She seems just like a broken doll…"

"Whatever," The man sitting in the chair groundout. "Some people like emotionless dolls as their toys."

"You seem upset?" The man crossed his arms as he glanced over at the sitting man. "Is it because I killed the mom?"

"What? No of _course_ not." The sitting man said sarcastically. "It's not like she would have fetched a higher price or anything."

The man who was standing glared at the man who was sitting.

"What was I suppose to do?" He spat out as he flung his arms out. "She came at me? Was I suppose to let her kill me?"

"Yes, with a pair of scissors that were used for _knitting_. You were _suppose_ to restrain her. Ugh," The man let out a groan as he rubbed his face. "What's done is done. Although she is a half-blood, I am sure the kid will still fetch a high price."

It was at this point that they heard the sound of glass shattering.

Silence engulfed the two men as they stared expectantly at the door. The man looked over at the person sitting down when he noticed no one was going to come through the door.

Crossing his arms, the man waved him off with a frown. Frowning in return, he headed for the door to check what that noise was.

Opening up the door, he went into the hallway. Noticing the front door open, he saw pieces of shattered glass on the ground. Bending down to observe it, he shouted back toward the room.

"Just a bunch of broken glass. I think an anima-?!" His conversation was cut short as he soon found a shard of glass was slid across his throat.

Blood spilling out from his throat, he gave a panic yelp that was nullified by the blood gurgling in his throat.

Slamming his body into the wall, he scratched desperately at his throat, trying to stop the bleeding. It was at that moment that he happened to glance up. Wanting to call for help, he instead came eye to eye with the God of Death himself. He took the form of a child with brown hair and gray eyes.

The last thing the man saw was the sadistically amused smile on the child's face.

* * *

Eren gave a slight smirk as the man collapsed on the floor dead. He had waited until their conversation to end before he struck. Wanting to get as much information as possible, he finally figured out why they killed the mother.

After causing a ruckus by breaking the glass, he grabbed a few shards to use as weapons.

Hearing frantic footsteps, he turned toward the doorway that led into the room Mikasa was in. The man who came out of it was the same one who was sitting in the chair. He had an axe in hand and stared with wide eyes at the smiling child.

Eren didn't let the man respond as he took a shard of glass and placed it in between his fingers. Flicking his wrist, he sent the makeshift shank flying toward the man with the axe. Not even a second past as the glass embedded itself in the forehead of the man. Blood dripped down his face as he brought a shaky hand to the wound. Looking at his now red painted hand, his eyes rolled back before he slumped over the wall.

Eren walked over to the body, kicking the axe out of his hand. Noticing a knife in his pocket, he took it to replace the remaining shards of glass.

Walking into the room, he noticed that Mikasa had an emotionless face as she stared at the boy who had just rescue her.

Eren rose an eyebrow at this. Most girls that age would be crying messes. Shrugging, he opted to conclude that not all girls acted the same in these types of situations. Some simply succumb to the insanity and are forever broken.

Hoping that she was just in shock, Eren moved over to undo her bindings.

"I'm Eren Yeager." Eren decided to introduce himself. "I'm Doctor Yeager's son. We came to your house… well, in any case, you're safe now."

Mikasa simply stared into space as she mumbled softly.

"...ird." It was soft spoken and Eren didn't quite hear it.

"Pardon?"

"...third." It was hard to hear once again, but Eren heard the last bit.

Eren's eyes widening as he berated himself. How could he make such a mistake? There was no guarantee that those were the only two guys. Clutching his knife he stood up to look around for the last man. Only to have a boot meet his chin.

The force rattled his body, causing him to drop the knife on the floor.

"You!" The man screamed in blind rage. "You did this! I'll kill you!"

The man rushed Eren before he could fully recover. Grabbing him by the neck, he lifted Eren above the ground and pounded him on the wall.

"I'll kill you! I'll kill you!" Spittle flew from his mouth as he shouted at Eren.

Eren, desperate for escaped, tried to release the hold that encompassed him. Hitting, clenching, and scratching, he did all that he could. But it wasn't enough. His body, so young, was too weak to fight against a grown man.

This is exactly what Eren had wanted to avoid.

His vision started getting blurry near the edges as he desperately gasped for air. His gaze wandered over to the girl that, for the first time, showed some form of emotion. She had a horrified look on her face as she witnessed Eren start to foam at the mouth.

Clenching his eyes shut, Eren prepared to do the last thing that could save him.

Angling his legs, he shot them out and hit the man right in the crotch. It was weak, and not strong enough for him to bend over in pain. But it still disturbed his hold on Eren. With a little of breathing room, Eren held the hands that were around his neck. Using all the strength in his tiny little body, he tried to pull the hands free.

Of course, he knew that he couldn't release the hold, but what he had wanted was to be able to breathe and, most importantly, speak.

"Fight!" Eren yelled as the hold began to tighten again. "If you don't… fight… you won't… win!"

Eren began to see dots in his vision. Nearing the verge of passing out, he knew it was over for him.

How foolish of him to get involved with a situation that didn't even mattered to him. His arms went limp as his eyes began to lose the light they once had.

But before he could pass out, he heard the snapping of wood and a yell. Mikasa came running with the knife he had used to cut her bonds toward the man. The man, too focused on Eren, didn't even notice Mikasa come up behind him. He felt the force of the stab resonate throughout the man.

Eren was dropped to the ground as the man could no longer support himself. Coughing up blood, the man who had his heart pierce slid down, face toward the corner of the room. He gave his last breath as he died in that awkward position facing the corner of the room.

Eren, on the other hand, was coughing up a lung. The sudden release of the hold had allowed him to finally breathe in fresh air. Intaking too much, he was reduced to the sputtering of coughs.

After a few seconds of gaining control over his breathing, he looked over to Mikasa. She was staring at the corpse, with a look of understanding on her face. It was as if she had just come to a conclusion about something. Perhaps it was realizing just what kind of world this was.

"Beautiful…" Her sweet voice said.

Eren's breath hitched and eyes widen as he gave her a look of astonishment. She had just killed a man and she said it was beautiful. Eren had to wonder if he had just created a monster.

"This world is beautiful… yet very cruel…" She finished what she was saying.

Eren stared at her as he finally regained his breathing. Giving a sigh of relief, it appears that she was only jostled about the situation.

Whatever psychological nonsense she was spouting, it would be best to just allow her to. It could be a fine coping mechanism.

"That may be true." Eren said as he walked up to the man who had been stabbed. Eren gave a slight expression of shock at the handle of the knife. It had been broken. Looking back, he noticed the flooring was also cracked in the position Mikasa had been standing at before she had rammed the knife into the man.

"However," Eren continued as he wrenched the knife out of the man. "I think beauty and cruelty can be interpreted in different ways."

Mikasa just stared at him as he tossed the knife on the ground.

"...What do you mean…" She hesitated to ask.

Eren went outside the room and began to drag one of the men he killed in the hallway into the room.

"I mean, we all look at things differently, and are subject to change our views." Eren said as he let out a grunt, trying to drag the heavy man from one end to the other. Finally releasing the man, he wiped his brow with his hand as he gave a sigh.

"What I mean is not to get pulled into this one situation. Don't let this encounter control who and what you are. Don't let this situation control how you see the world."

Eren, once again, went out into the hall and dragged the other man into the room.

With that done, he gave a sigh as he once again looked at Mikasa. She seemed downcast, most likely the reality of the situation hitting home.

She was now an orphan.

Eren gave a frown. At least she was silent, but he hoped not to deal with an emotional child.

Walking over to a lit lamp, he picked it up. Throwing it on the ground, he allowed the flames to escape their compound. The now small fire would soon spread.

"Come on." Eren grabbed the girl's hand. Leading her outside the door, he released his hold on the hand to grab the empty case near the door they just walked out. With a little strain, he tipped it over, causing it to block the door to the room the three now dead men were in.

All the while Mikasa looked at him with confusion.

Taking her hand again, Eren led Mikasa out of the now burning house.

* * *

"It looks like a lamp tipped over and started the fire."

"Yeah, and somehow in the commotion the bookshelf tipped over, blocking their only escape… Although I wonder why they didn't jump out the windows?"

The MPs looked at each other as they discussed the case that had recently happened.

"Well, they were probably idiots." One MP said as he put up his notepad, ending his notes he was taking. "Two of them are near the door, so they probably desperately tried that as their only option of escape. Either way, these guys had it coming to them."

The MPs looked at the three silhouettes near the edge of the house.

"So you're saying that you were walking and just found her?" Grisha questioned his son once again. He had come with the MPs to the Ackermans house when, on the road there, they had run into both Eren and Mikasa.

The story that Eren had given was that a fire had started in the house the culprits were using and, in the commotion, Mikasa escaped. Eren had found her and decided to lead her to the MPs.

"Yes." Eren gave a curt reply as his only response.

"Mikasa, is this true?" Grisha asked the only witness to the scene.

However, Mikasa didn't say anything regarding what had happened. When she was questioned by the MPs, she hadn't even given them the idea that she recognized them.

Grisha gave a sigh as he rubbed the bridges of his nose.

"Well, I suppose we can discuss this later. Come on."

"Where…" For the first time since they met up with the adults, she spoke. "Where am I suppose to go? Where am I suppose to call home? What am I suppose to do? I'm… so cold..."

Grisha gave her a look of pity while Eren just rolled his eyes, not really wanting to deal with traumatized kids.

"You can come with us. We'll offer you a home, a bed, food, and a family." Grisha talked to Mikasa at eye level.

She just looked at him, as if wondering if such words were true, but not holding out hope.

Eren, giving a sigh, decided to intervene. Unwrapping his red scarf, he took it and placed it around Mikasa's head in a sloppy manner.

"There," Eren said in an unconcerned voice. "You were cold, right? It's warm, right?"

Mikasa gave a slow nod as life began to enter her eyes, looking at Eren, he said the words that would forever change her world.

"Well, then, let's go home. To our home."

Although she had a privileged life, living comfortably with her mother and father, this one incident had changed her forever. She would never come back the same, and a part of her wanted to disappear. But the boy who had just wrapped his scarf around her changed her mind.

She would stay in this world and protect the person who protected her. When no one came, he did.

Warm tears of joy slid down her face as she ran up and hugged Eren. Giving him a tight squeeze, she didn't let go even when a large amount of time past. She stayed like that, in Eren's embrace, listening to his heartbeat as she sobbed quietly into his shirt. Soon, sleep overtook her, and Grisha had to help lift Mikasa up so they could leave. Yet Eren stayed close, holding her hand to reassure her that he was still here.

Grisha glance over his son, noticing the red hand marks on his neck. He was about to say something when Eren glanced over at him. His words got stuck in his throat and he hesitated to say anything as he stared into those eyes of his son.

Swallowing hard, he cast his gaze back up front as they headed to the horses.


End file.
